Human IL-21 expression in CAR-T cells further improved their expansion and antitumor ability and were observed to secrete more interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and Interleukin-2 (IL-2) when co-cultured with ESCC cell lines in vitro. Here, TNF is linked to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.