AIM: To investigate the expression and significance of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and glucose-regulated protein 94 (grp94) in human esophageal carcinoma and adjacent normal tissues.METHODS: The expression of HSP70 and grp94 in 78human esophageal cancer and adjacent normal tissues was studied by immunohistochemistry and pathology photograph analysis.RESULTS: Both esophageal cancer and adjacent normal tissues could express HSP70 and grp94. Of the 78 cases of esophageal carcinoma, 95.0%(72/78) showed positive HSP70, mainly stained in nuclei, while grp94 was mainly stained in cell plasma, and the positive rate was 71.8%(56/78).There was a significant difference in the expression of HSP70 and grp94 between esophageal cancer and adjacent normal tissues (P＜0.01). Compared with adjacent normal tissues, there was a significant difference between differential types and HSP70 expression (P＜0.01).CONCLUSION: HSP70 and grp94 express differently in cell plasma and nuclei. The expression intensity of HSP70is related to the differentiation of esophageal carcinoma.