Within this category, we identified 85 homeobox genes that were significantly upregulated and designated them as activated homeobox genes (aHBGs), whereas 82 genes exhibited either downregulation or no change and were labeled as unactivated homeobox genes (uHBGs) in ESCC tissues compared with their normal counterparts (Figure 1C). This evidence concerns the gene LBX1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.