We assessed the expressions of Gli1, Sox9, CD44, Sox2, LSD1, and Oct4 in 127 patients' tissue specimens of ESCC using immunohistochemistry and in ESCC cell lines using Western blotting.
The expression of OCT4 enables the tumor to have a higher degree of stemness, which in turn results in a poorer clinical outcome for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.