Objective: This study was to determine the role of HOXB7 in predicting outcomes of patients with oesophageal squamous cell cancer (OSCC). Methods: Samples were collected from 179 OSCC patients. HOXB7 mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: HOXB7 mRNA expression was up-regulated in 85.1% of OSCC tumorous tissues, and correlated with age, pathological T and N category, as well as cancer-specific survival (CSS). However, subgroup analysis revealed its discernibility on CSS was only pronounced in early stage. Conclusions: HOXB7 mRNA expression might serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for resected OSCC patients in early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]