Analysis using TCGA clinical data and R version 4.0.2 showed that HCST expression was correlated with grade (p = 0.005), TNM stage (p = 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.004), and invasion depth (p = 0.018), but not age (p = 0.721), sex (p = 0.292), or distant metastasis (p = 0.218) (Table 1). This evidence concerns the gene HCST and metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.