Small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare and aggressive tumor with early widespread dissemination. In this retrospective study, we report clinical outcomes of limited-disease small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus from the analysis of nine patients. Between 2003 and 2006, nine consecutive patients with small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus were treated in our single institution, representing 2.8% of all esophageal malignancies treated with curative concurrent chemoradiation during this period. All the patients received four cycles of etoposide (100 mg/m(2), days 1-3), combined with cisplatin (80 mg/m(2), day 1), plus radiation therapy (50 Gy in daily doses of 2 Gy, 5 days/week). At the time of analysis, the median follow-up time was 10.8 months (range: 4.2-42.8 months) and 21.8 months in five living patients (56%). Of all the nine patients, five patients (56%) had a complete response, and the actuarial 3-year overall survival rate was 55.6%. This regimen resulted in a favorable 3-year survival rate. We conclude that the optimum treatment seems to be the same as for small-cell carcinomas of the lung, that is, a multidrug combination chemotherapy regimen used with concurrent radiation.