Although Smurf2 mRNA expression was not prognostic for patients with adenocarcinoma (data not shown), increased Smurf2 mRNA expression was associated with poorer overall survival (median survival time 14 vs. 75 months for the 4th vs. the 1st quartile, p = 0.0005) and disease-free survival (10 vs. 67 months, p = 0.007) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemotherapy (Fig. 5A). Here, SMURF2 is linked to adenocarcinoma.