Among these altered genes, CST1 could serve as a reliable diagnostic factor (AUC = 0.904), the finding being in line with previous reports on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,27 endometrial cancer,52 and early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.53 In addition, our analysis revealed that CST2 expression was associated with most clinicopathological parameters, indicating its possible role in tumor progression. Here, CST1 is linked to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.