食管癌是我国常见的癌瘤之一,根据1960年华北四省1700万人的普查,食管癌发病率为7.11/10万,河南林县高达67.26/10万。在国外,食管癌约占整个癌肿的3%。根据我省死亡回顾调查表明,食管癌占癌瘤的第一位。虽则食管癌早期诊断方法不断改进,食管脱落细胞检查的阳性率达98.1%,由于食管癌缺乏明确的早期症状,只有当肿瘤明显累及食管并使管腔狭窄至一定程度时方出现吞咽困难,可是病变已属晚期。因此,现时食管癌除一小部分病例可适于手术外,有相当多的一部分病例需进行放射治疗。然而食管癌单纯放疗的 Esophageal cancer is one of the common cancers in China. According to a survey of 17 million people in four provinces in North China in 1960, the incidence of esophageal cancer was 7.11 per 100,000, and that of Linxian in Henan was 67.26 per 100,000. In foreign countries, esophageal cancer accounts for about 3% of the entire cancer. According to a survey of deaths in our province, it was shown that esophageal cancer accounted for the first place in cancer. Although the early diagnosis methods of esophageal cancer are improving, the positive rate of esophageal exfoliative cells examination is 98.1%. Because esophageal cancer lacks clear early symptoms, dysphagia occurs only when the tumor significantly affects the esophagus and narrows the lumen to a certain extent. The lesion is already advanced. Therefore, in addition to a small number of cases of esophageal cancer can be suitable for surgery, there are a considerable number of cases required for radiation therapy. However, esophageal cancer alone radiotherapy