The results showed that IR could significantly increase the accumulation of NIK protein, a master kinase of the noncanonical NF‐κB signaling pathway, in ESCC TE‐1 and ECA‐109 cells and in SCC‐9 and SiHa squamous carcinoma cells (Fig. 5A,B, Fig. S4C). This evidence concerns the gene MAP3K14 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.