Although the levels of CHRNA1, CHRNA5, CHRNA6, CHRNA7, CHRNA9, CHRNB1, CHRNB3, and CHRNB4 in ESCC were all significantly higher than that of the normal esophageal tissues (Fig. 2a), results from GSEA indicate that only CHRNA5 and CHRNA7 were associated with CIC properties in ESCC patients (Fig. 2b–i). The gene discussed is CHRNA6; the disease is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.