Objective To observe the changes in serum level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecules-1(sICAM-1) in patients with esophageal carcinoma and investigate their clinical significance.Method The serum level of sICAM-1 in 58 esophageal carcinoma patients and 30 healthy subjects were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results The serum level of sICAM-1 in esophageal carcinoma patients was significantly higher than that in control group.The serum level of sICAM-1 in esophageal carcinoma patients was not correlated with age,sex and histological grade,but was clearly correlated with tumor site and lymph node metastasis.Conclusion Serum level of sICAM-1 may reflect the occurrence and metastasis of esophageal carcinoma,so it may possess certain clinical significance.