Previously, RBM4 was reported to inhibit cancer progression of multiple types of human cancers, including lung, breast, gastric, colorectal, and hepatocellular cancer.39,41,42,46,47 For example, RBM4 regulates the splicing of Bcl-x and TEAD4 to suppress lung cancer progression39,40; SRPK1-RBM4 network contributes to tumorigenesis via altered sensitivity to apoptotic signals in breast cancer cells.42 However, the role of RBM4 in ESCC has not been characterized yet. Here, BCL2L1 is linked to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.