Objective: To evaluate the status of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for upper gastrointestinal cancers, and then discuss how to solve the problems that hinder the development of PDT. Methods: A total of 30 pertinent literatures about PDT for upper gastrointestinal cancers during past 25 years were collected through the retrieval of several related medical databases (Chinese Medical Current Contents, China Bio-Medical Bibliographic Database, China Joal Fulltext Database). The data, including the gender, age of patients, tumor position, pathologic findings, treatment efficacy, adverse effects and the applied laser and photosensitizer, were statistically analyzed.Results: For all the 1687 cases with upper gastrointestinal cancers, the excellent-effective rate (complete remission or prominent remission) and effective rate (complete remission or prominent remission or minor remission) were 53.2% and 87%, respectively. The therapeutic effect of combined treatment(PDT with other methods) was superior to that of PDT (u=4.456, P＜0.01). All the involved pathological types were sensitive to PDT. Different photosensitizers and lasers were used by different authors, but all of them were effective without any serious side effect. Conclusion: PDT shows a radical effect on the tumors of early stage and a favorable palliative effect on the tumors of advanced stage, so it is one of the optional strategies for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal cancers.