Unveiling the role of ANGPT2 in esophageal cancer: A prognostic factor and potential oncogene

Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is defined by high incidence and mortality rates. Emerging evidence implicates angiopoietin‑2 (ANGPT2) as a key mediator in human carcinogenesis; however, its precise functional role and underlying mechanisms in ESCA remain incompletely elucidated. Clinical samples and The Cancer Genome Atlas, genotype‑tissue expression and Gene Expression Omnibus databases were first used to analyze ANGPT2 expression, clinical relevance and prognostic value, demonstrating it as an independent prognostic factor and potential oncogene in ESCA. In addition, abnormal ANGPT2 expression affected ESCA migration and invasion in vitro. Subsequently, through correlation, expression and prognostic analyses, the upstream long‑chain non‑coding RNAs and microRNAs that regulate ANGPT2 were identified. In conclusion, gene set enrichment analysis revealed a connection between ANGPT2 and the immune system, with ANGPT2 level showing a strong positive correlation with tumor microenvironment cell infiltration, immune cell markers, and immune checkpoint expression. Furthermore, ANGPT2 expression was significantly associated with sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. To summarize, overexpression of ANGPT2 in ESCA is associated with an unfavorable prognosis and compromised tumor immunity.