Objective To detect the expression of forkhead box P3 （FOXP3 ）gene in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) and provide a new basis for immunotherapy of esophageal cancer. Methods Based on fluorescent TaqMan methodology, a realtime quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting the expression of FOXP3 was set up. In this method, a cloning vector pMD 18-T-FOXP3 was constructed as a standard plasmid. The specific expression of FOXP3 in 42 patients with ESCC and 30 healthy controls were measured by using GeneAmp 7500 Sequence Detection Systems. Results FOXP3 mRNA copy number in ESCC was significantly higher than that in healthy control tissue ［(72.20±23.10)×104copy/μg RNA vs.(0.68±0.34)×104 copy/μg RNA；Plt;0.05］. Conclusion A realtime quantitative RT-PCR method for detecting the expression of FOXP3 gene in ESCC has been successfully established. The expression level of FOXP3 is increased in ESCC compare with healthy controls.