Research progress of perioperative immunotherapy for esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer is one of the common malignant tumors in the digestive system, with high morbidity and mortality rates and poor prognosis. Currently, the treatment modality of esophageal cancer has gradually transitioned to surgery‑based comprehensive treatment. For resec-table esophageal cancer, the combination with perioperative treatment can significantly improve the efficacy and prognosis of patients. Surgery combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the first choice for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, but many patients still suffer from recurrence and metastasis with serious adverse effects. In recent years, the emergence of immuno-therapeutic drugs such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has created a new era of tumor treat-ment. The application of ICIs in the perioperative period of esophageal cancer has also gradually attracted extensive attention from researchers. The authors introduce the current research progress of perioperative immunotherapy for esophageal cancer from the molecular mechanism of immuno-therapy for esophageal cancer, current perioperative treatment modalities, and potential biomarkers, aiming to provide important references for further research and clinical practice.