Mechanistic studies have elucidated its multifaceted actions: in lung cancer, CDN induces the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), triggering DNA damage and subsequently leading to apoptosis (Makhija et al., 2022); in breast cancer, it suppresses tumor growth by inhibiting HIF-1α-dependent glycolysis (Jin et al., 2019); and in esophageal cancer, CDN promotes apoptosis by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway (Wang Y. et al., 2021). The gene discussed is NT5C; the disease is esophageal cancer.