From 1987 to 1997, 211 patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma underwent radical surgery. The 5 year survival rate was 87% in pTNM stage I, 64% in stage II A, 57% in stage II B, and 31% in stage III. The survival curve was improved by postoperative chemotherapy including CDDP/5-FU as compared with surgery alone. Relapse occurred in 59 of these patients (28%). Lymphatic recurrence was recognized in 32 patients, hematogenic recurrence in 19, mixed type in 4, and intramural or local recurrence in 4 patients. In spite of through lymph node dissection, postoperative lymphatic recurrence was most frequent at the upper mediastinum and neck. Among hematogenic metastases, pulmonary and hepatic metastases were observed at equal incidences. The 1 year survival rate and median survival period of the patients with recurrent carcinoma were 36% and 191 days (26-1,122), respectively. There was no significant difference in prognosis between lymphatic and hematogenic recurrence. The prognosis for patients who underwent active therapy for recurrence (42 cases) was significantly better than for those who underwent only palliative therapy (17 cases). Resection of the site of recurrence was performed in 4 cases. The combination therapy of resection or irradiation and combined chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU resulted in a better prognosis (median survival period was 504 days) than irradiation alone or chemotherapy alone. In conclusion, early diagnosis and active multimodality therapy were important to improve the prognosis of recurrent esophageal carcinoma.