Objective To compare the efficacy and adverse reactions of docetaxel combined with radiotherapy and radiotherapy alone in the treatment of esophageal cancer.Methods Wanfang,CNKI and PubMed databases(retrieval time was from the establishment of the database to March 2023)were searched to obtain randomized controlled trial(RCT)of docetaxel combined with radiotherapy and radiotherapy alone in the treatment of esophageal cancer.Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.3 software.Results A total of 6 articles were included,involving 362 patients with esophageal cancer.The results of Meta-analysis showed that the objective response rate(ORR)of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant[risk ratio(RR)=1.36,95%CI(1.20,1.54),P<0.00001];the incidence of bone marrow suppression in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group[RR=1.60,95%CI(1.30,1.97),P<0.00001];the incidence of gastrointestinal reactions in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group[RR=1.41,95%CI(1.08,1.85),P=0.01].Conclusion Docetaxel combined with radiotherapy can be used as a treatment option for patients with unresectable or refused surgical esophageal cancer,which can improve the short-term efficacy of patients.