Esophageal cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. For locally advanced diseases, radiotherapy is the main treatment. The survival rates, however, are still appalling, which is partially due to radioresistance. In 6% of cases of esophageal cancer, the Hedgehog pathway is reactivated, and this pathway is crucial for the growth, progression, treatment resistance, and metastasis of esophageal cancer. Here, we conducted a comprehensive review of the current research on Hedgehog pathway in esophageal cancer.
Keywords: Hedgehog pathway; esophageal cancer; radioresistance; target therapy.