Objective To evaluate the effects of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy(3D-CRT) on the patients with esophageal carcinoma.Methods From October 2001 to October 2004,68 patients with esophageal carcinoma,the diagnosis of whom was finally confirmed by pathological examination,received coplanarity or noncoplanarity multifield 3D-CRT with Varian 1800C liner accelerator,using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy planning system.Conventional fractionated dose was 2Gy per fraction,5 fractions per week,with a total dose of 60-70Gy in 6-7 weeks.Clinical target volume(CTV) and planning target volume(PTV) were enlarged outwards on the basis of gross tumor volume(GTV) which included primary tumors and regional lymph nodes.Results One-year and 3-year local tumor control rates were 80.9% and 47.1%,respectively,as the result of 3D-CRT.One-year and 3-year survival rates were 76.4% and 44.1% respectively.Grade 2 acute esophagitis occurred in 20 cases and grade 3 in 2 cases,grade 1 radiation pneumonia was found in 8 cases and grade 1 esophageal stenosis in 4 cases.Conclusions With tolerable reactions and after effects,the technique of 3D-CRT could effectively elevate the local tumor control rate and survival rate for the patients with esophageal carcinoma.