Objective To explore the relationship between the apoptosis of esophageal carcinoma tissue and its adjacent tissues with the survival time of patients with esophageal carcinoma by examining the apoptosis in esophageal carcinoma tissue and its adjacent tissues.Methods FCM Wag performed to detect the rates of apoptosis in 68 cases of esophageal carcinoma and their adjacent tissues and 28 cases of normal esophageal mucosae tissue.Sixty-three patients with esophageal carcinoma had been followed up and noted the survival time of every patient from the operated day to the deadline.Results The rate of apoptosis was the highest in the normal esophageal mucosae tissue(12.78±1.32)%,(7.79±1.48)% in adjacent tissue,and(4.16±2.06)% in esophageal carcinoma tissue,respectively.To follow the survival time after operation of 63 cases with esophageal carcinoma showed 60 cases in one year survival time and 35 cases in three years survival time.The rate of apoptosis in the esophageal carcinoma and its adjacent tissues wag(3.45±1.51)% and (3.96±0.94)% in the patients of one year survival time,(3.90±2.53)% and (7.89±2.27)% in the patients of three years survival time,respectively,P<0.05.Conclusions There is the phenomenon of apoptosis-escape in the esophageal carcinogenesis.There is close relationship between the apoptosis of esophageal carcinoma tissue and the survival time after operation.The apoptosis in the adjacent tissue is more important than that in the esophageal carcinoma tissue for evaluating the survival time after operation of patients with esophageal carcinoma.