As an important part of cellular immunity，T lymphocytes play a key role in tumor immunotherapy. In the past，chemoradiotherapy and/or surgical treatment had limited effects on overall survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma，and immunotherapy that brought survival benefits to tumor patients began to be applied for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The mechanism of T lymphocytes′ effects on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma has not been fully elucidated yet. Thus exploring the role of T lymphocytes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma may be helpful for finding new therapeutic approaches. This article reviews the role of T lymphocytes in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.