PTK2 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: One study found increased ITGβ1 expression in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) with lymphatic metastasis (57), while ITGα7 may be involved in regulating stemness-related genes and reducing lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) through activation of the FAK/MAPK/ERK signaling pathway (58).