Esophageal cancer is one of the most malignant tumors in digestive system, but the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer is still unclear. It has been verified that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in development and progression of tumors. However, little research concentrates on the role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer. In the present study, we found that circular RNA-RAD23B (circRAD23B) was upregulated in specimens of patients with esophageal cancer. Further investigation revealed that circRAD23B promoted proliferation and invasion of esophageal cancer cells. Next, we identified microRNA-5095 (miR-5095) as a target of circRAD23B, and found that miR-5095 was negatively correlated to the expression of circRAD23B in esophageal cancer. In addition, circRAD23B facilitated expression of PARP2 and AKT2 by sponging miR-5095, which might underlie the growth of esophageal cancer. In summary, these data displayed the crucial role of circRAD23B/miR-5095 regulating PARP2 and AKT2 in esophageal cancer, and provided a novel mechanism in the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.