A total of 1.384 Tl and Tis cases of cancer of the esophagus resected between January, 1984 and December, 1989 at 208 institutions throughout Japan were analyzed. Of these, 1.123 (71%) were classified as stage 1 carcinoma (Tl N0 M0) and stage 0 carcinoma (Tis N0 M0), and studied according to various factors. The long-term results in Tl and Tis cancer were examined: the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis, m cancer and sm cancer and lymph vessel invasion, showed significant differences in respect of the five-year survival rate. The low incidence (4%) of lymph node metastasis in m cancer suggests that it can be considered as true early cancer, treatable for cure.