Abstract: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and definitive chemoradiotherapy are the standard treatments for locally advanced esophageal carcinoma. The potential benefits of increasing the radiation dose in these treatment modalities have been a hot topic of clinical debate. Additionally, the radiation range of radiotherapy lacks local and international standardization. Elective nodal irradiation and involved-field irradiation are the two main modes of target delineation; however, a consensus on their comparative efficacy has not yet been reached. This article presents a review of the research progress in recent years regarding the radiation dose and range in neoadjuvant and definitive chemoradiotherapy for treating esophageal cancer.