An analysis of 392 radical operations on patients with carcinoma of the esophagus has shown that surgical treatment is justified for tumors of not more than 3 cm size, growth to the muscular layer of the esophagus, with tumors having exophytic and ulcerous forms of growth, high degree of differentiation and without metastatic involvement of the regional lymph nodes. Combined (radial and surgical) treatment is justified for any size of the tumor having mixed, ulcerous-infiltrative and diffuse-infiltrative forms of growth, for tumors of medial and low degrees of differentiation.