ObjectiveTo analyze the influencing factors of preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients, and to construct and evaluate a nomogram model. MethodsElderly esophageal cancer patients hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Navy Medical University from January 2022 to August 2024 were selected. General information of the patients was collected, and the patients were divided into a frailty group and a non-frailty group according to the frailty score. Single-factor and multi-factor logistic regression analysis were used to screen the independent influencing factors of preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients, and the nomogram model was constructed and evaluated accordingly. ResultsA total of 332 elderly esophageal cancer patients were included, including 256 males and 76 females, with an average age of (69.71±5.95) years. The incidence of preoperative frailty was 45.48%. Multivariate analysis showed that age≥70 years [OR=2.986, 95%CI (1.796, 4.965), P<0.001], basic diseases≥2 types [OR=3.129, 95%CI (1.794, 5.457), P=0.012], self-care ability [OR=2.599, 95%CI (1.512, 4.467), P<0.001], and depression [OR=3.784, 95%CI (2.135, 6.706), P=0.005] were independent risk factors for preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients. The nomogram model was constructed as follows: Z=−2.038+1.094×(age≥70 years)+1.141×(basic diseases≥2 types)+0.955×self-care ability (non-independent)+1.331×depression, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.802 [95%CI (0.756, 0.847)], and the sensitivity and specificity were 78.8% and 65.2%, respectively. The goodness of fit test showed that the model had good discrimination and calibration (χ2=6.64, P>0.05). ConclusionAge≥70 years, basic diseases≥2 types, self-care ability, and depression are independent risk factors for preoperative frailty in elderly esophageal cancer patients. The constructed nomogram model shows good predictive performance and can identify elderly esophageal cancer patients with preoperative frailty, providing a reference for the formulation of corresponding intervention measures.