Fig. 8

High expression of circNF1 negatively correlates with anti-PD-L1 therapy efficacy and prognosis of patients with ESCC. A Representative IHC images and statistical analysis of p-STAT3, ANXA1, PD-L1, and CD8 expression in ESCC tissues with different grades of circNF1. Scale bar: 100 μm. B Chest CT imaging of patients demonstrating PR or PD reaction after anti-PD-L1 treatment (the arrows showed the foci area). Quantification analysis of circNF1 expression in patients with ESCC with different treatment response in cohort 3. C ROC curves of the predicted circNF1 expression, CPS, and composite models combining circNF1 and CPS for predicting immunotherapy response. D Correlation analysis between circNF1 expression and overall survival of patients with ESCC. E Schematic summarizing the circNF1/ANXA1/USP7/PD-L1 axis and its role in modulating ESCC progression and immunosuppression. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001