Abstract: Esophageal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the digestive tract. Its morbidity and mortality rates are high. Local advanced esophageal cancer relapses easily after operation and has a poor prognosis. Operation- based comprehensive treatment plays an important role in reducing the recurrence rate and increasing the survival rate. Radiotherapy is an important part of comprehensive treatment. From conventional radiotherapy two dimeusional conformal (2DCRT) to three dimensional conformal ra -diotherapy (3DCRT), intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image guide radiation therapy (IGRT), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), radiotherapy technologies have experienced significant development. This development optimized the dose distri -bution and improved the accuracy of radiation. It has also provided a new understanding of the methods of radiotherapy, such as pre-operation radiotherapy, post operation radiotherapy, and radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. The progress of radiotherapy re-search on esophageal cancer is reviewed in this paper.