Abstract: Objective: To detect the effect of nimesulide, the selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), on the cell proliferation and apoptosis of human esophageal carcinoma Eca-109 cell lines, study the expression of Survivin and Caspase-3, and to investigate the mechanism of nimesulide to induce tumor cell's apoptosis. Methods: After the treatment with nimesulide on esophageal carcinoma Eca-109 cell, MTT assay was used to observe the inhibition of Eca-109 cell growth and apoptosis was determined by electronic microscopy and flow cytometry. The expression of Survivin mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and the protein expression of Survivin and Caspase-3 was examined using Western blot. Results: The dose of 50~400μmol/L of nimesulide showed the inhibitory effect on growth of Eca-109 cell lines and induce apoptosis in a dose- and time-effective manner, moreover nimesulide also down-regulated the level of mRNA and protein of survivin, and elevated the expression of capase3. Conclusion: Nimesulide could induce apoptosis of the esophageal carcinoma Eca-109 cells by down-regulation of expression of survivin and up-regulation of caspase-3.