CD163 as a marker of M2 macrophage might contribute to predict aggressiveness and prognosis of Kazakh ESCC with the increased number of M2 macrophages (37), and CD163 also contributes to gliomagenesis via casein kinase 2 that might serve as a therapeutic target for glioma (38). This evidence concerns the gene CD163 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.