GAPDH and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Used keywords to query the PubMed database and found reference genes commonly used in the molecular biology research of ESCC were actin beta (ACTB) [18, 19]and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) [20, 21], such as “esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,” “real-time,” and “PCR.” ACTB encodes an actin gene that is widely present in nonmuscle cells and participates in the formation of the cytoskeleton and cell movement [22].