The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of perioperative changes of the cellular immunity parameters on long-term survival following esophagectomy for carcinoma of the esophagus. In 39 patients several immunological parameters have been assessed before and 2 weeks after the operation: WBC, lymphocyte count, lymphocyte T% (E-rosette test), helper/suppressor lymphocyte T subpopulations (teophylline test), NBT test, and in vivo Multitest CMI (skin delayed hypersensitivity for recall antigens). Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method according to the stage (pTNM, UICC'92) and to the grade of perioperative cellular immunity (pCI) deterioration. Three groups of patients were identified with: 1) improvement or stabilization of pCI (n = 5); 2) deterioration of 1 or 2 pCI parameters (n = 21); and 3) deterioration of 3 or more pCI parameters (n = 13). Follow-up time ranged from 4 to 65 months. Eight patients died in hospital due to postoperative complications, 3 patients are alive (1 of them with Tis alive at 52 months of follow-up), and the remaining patients died during follow-up. Mean survival time of patients in stage II (n = 7), III (n = 17), and IV (n = 14) was 18, 17, and 6 months respectively (p = 0.017, log rank test). Mean survival time of patients in group 1, 2, and 3 was 21, 20, and 5 months respectively (p < 0.001, log rank test). On bivariate survival analysis encountering both factors, stage was found to be the only independent prognostic factor (p = 0.008, Cox regression model). Deterioration of the cellular immunity in the perioperative period is entirely related to the stage of the disease, which is the only independent prognostic factor in carcinoma of the esophagus.