Abstract: To discuss the significance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery in the treatment of local advanced esophageal cancer. Methods : A total of 272 cases of local advanced esophageal cancer were studied in retrospect. Out of the 272 cases, 112 were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery (CT-S), whereas the remaining 160 cases underwent surgical treatment (S) only. Complications and survival state after surgery were compared. Results : The rate of complications after surgery was as follows: CT-S: 34.8% (39/112); S: 29.4% (47/160), P=0.50. The five-year survival rate was 35.7% and 29.4%, respectively, P < 0.05. The CT-S patients were divided into partial remission (PR) and stable disease (SD)/progressive disease (PD) groups according to the effect of the chemotherapy. The five-year survival rate was 38.5% and 30.1%, respectively, P < 0.01. Conclusion : Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is available for local advanced esophageal cancer. Postoperative complications are not increased by chemotherapy, and the survival rate for local advanced esophageal cancer is improved by neoadjuvant chemotherapy. PR has better prognosis compared with SD/PD.