Seventy patients with local squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus were treated between 1981 and 1990 with preoperative chemotherapy, surgical resection, and possible postoperative radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. Chemotherapy included two cycles of 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2) by continuous intravenous infusion on days 1–4 and cisplatin (100 mg/m2) on day 4. Complete clinical response (CCR) was achieved in 28 (41%) patients, partial clinical response (PCR) in 17 (25%), and no response in 23 (34%).Fifty-five (81%) patients were resected, 6 (9%) were explored, and 7 (10%) were unable to have surgery.Microscopic analysis of 55 resected patients showed 50 (91%) with active tumor, 1 (2%) with necrotic tumor, and 4 (7%) with a pathological complete response to chemotherapy.Twenty-six of the 55 resected patients (47%) had no gross evidence of disease at the time of surgical inspection. Median overall survival was 21.86 months (range 2–107 months) for all patients and 26.71 months (range 2–107 months) for resected patients. Actuarial S-year survival rate was 31% for all patients and 39% for resected patients. Prolonged survival correlates with complete clinical response to chemotherapy, low pathological stage of disease, and successful resection of the lesion.