Yang Y, et al. - Among 416 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients, researchers used Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test, followed by multivariate Cox regression models, to determine the link between tumor markers [cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21–1, carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19–9), carbohydrate antigen 72–4, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag)] and overall survival (OS). CA19–9 (≥ 37 vs < 37) and CEA (≥ 5 vs < 5) were identified as the independent prognostic factors of poor OS in Cox multivariate analysis. In ESCC, possible superiority of CEA and CA19–9 as prognostic indicators was suggested in comparison to other tumor biomarkers. As a predictor of the therapeutic impact of postoperative chemotherapy in ESCC, a possible utility of CA19–9, CEA, and SCC-Ag was indicated.