Abstract: Objective To investigate the expressions of E2F-1 and Rb in the esophageal squamous cell carcinomma and approach the relationship between the genes and clinical pathology and the roles in the process of esophageal squamous cell carcinogenesis. Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of E2F-1 and Rb in 60 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and 50 cases of normal esophageal tissue. Results The positive rate of E2F-1 expression was 73.3% in cancerous tissue, which was significantly higher than 36.0% in normal esophageal tissue(P<0.01). The expression of E2F-1 was closely associated with tumor stage, differentiation and lymph node invasion(P<0.05).The negative rate of Rb was 30.0%in cancerous tissue，which was significantly higher than 12.0% in normal esophageal tissue(P<0.05).The expression of Rb was closely associated with tumor differentiation and lymph node invasion(P<0.05)，but not associated with tumor stage. The expressions of E2F-1 and Rb in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was negatively correlated (r=0.395,P=0.02). Conclusion The overexpression of E2F-1 and decreased expression of Rb involve in the occurrence and development of esophageal carcinoma in some extent.