Abstract: Objective : To investigate the relationship between mast cell subtypes and clinical pathological properties of esophageal carcinoma. Methods : Tumor tissues from 90 patients with esophageal carcinoma were collected and stained with double labeling immunohistochemistry. The gender, histological grades, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis rate, mast cell subtypes and distant metastasis were analyzed. Results : Mast cells resided predominantly in the marginal area of the tumors. The density of the MCTC or MCT, but not MCC, was negatively correlated with the depth of tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis. Conclusion : Correlations exist between mast cell subtypes and the biological behaviors of esophageal carcinoma. Mast cell infiltration in the matrix of the tumors may play an important role in preventing invasion and metastasis of esophageal carcinoma. Mast cells may be valuable for establishing a prognosis for esophageal carcinoma.