In this study, our results showed that the oncogenic lncRNA ESCCAL-1 promoted ESCC cell-cycle progression, upregulated the protein levels of CDK4 and CCND1, and downregulated CDKN1A, indicating that ESCCAL-1 is a potential molecular therapy target for ESCC. The gene discussed is CDK4; the disease is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.