SPP1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: In our study, osteopontin was overexpression in 48 percent of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients and this finding was consistent with Kita's study in which osteopontin was immunohistochemical positive expression in 48 percent of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients after esophagectomy with lymph node dissection [9].