Fig. 6

Identification of a novel molecular prognostic model in ESCC patients. A/B The new molecular prognostic model was generated based on the expression level and localization of three stromal components, i.e. α-SMA⁺ CAFs, CD163⁺ MØs, and pTNM-stage. Patients were divided into low-, medium- and high-risk groups based on X-tile software analysis. Kaplan–Meier graphs showing that patients in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups had contrasting OS and DFS. C/D Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the prognostic power of the new molecular prognostic model, each of the stromal components, and pTNM-stage in the generation and validation dataset. E The new molecular prognostic model identifies a high-risk group of ESCC patients who can benefit from chemotherapy. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis indicates that chemotherapy prolonged patient OS and DFS in the high-risk group, but not in the low- and medium-risk groups