To summarize the improvement of key laparoscopic techniques in radical thoracic laparoscopic esophageal cancer surgery, and to discuss its safety, reliability and easy-to-learn implementation points. Methods From October 2014 to February 2015, 40 cases were male and 3 cases were female; the average age was (62.47±8.22) years. There were 4 cases of esophageal cancer pathological stage I, 16 cases of stage II, 22 cases of stage III, and 1 case of stage IV; the tumor was located in the upper thoracic segment in 12 cases, the middle thoracic segment in 23 cases, and the lower thoracic segment in 8 cases. The clinical results of thoracic laparoscopic radical esophageal cancer treatment were observed, and the key points of improvement of laparoscopic key techniques, such as two-way gastric free technique, gripless gastric free technique, subxiphoid small incision technique and thoracic segmental esophageal thoracoscopic interception tumor-free technique, were summarized. Results There were no perioperative deaths, no thoracoabdominal and incisional implant metastases, no tubular gastric fistula or necrosis, no delayed gastric emptying, no abdominal incisional infection, and no splenic injury in the whole group. The patients had one case (2.3%) of intermediate open abdomen due to severe extra-abdominal invasion of tumor, six cases (14.0%) of pulmonary infection and one case (2.3%) of anastomotic fistula occurred in the perioperative period as complications. The average abdominal operation time for the whole group of patients was (59.65±18.10) min; the average bleeding volume of abdominal operation was 40 (15-100) ml; the average maximum diameter of lesion was 5 (1-11) cm; the average number of lymph nodes cleared from the abdominal cavity was 7 (2-24); the average stay in the intensive care unit was 18 (10-40) h, and the average postoperative hospital stay was 11 (8-28) d. Conclusion The improvement of key laparoscopic techniques makes the laparoscopic surgical approach in radical thoraco-laparoscopic esophageal cancer surgery safe, effective, and easy to learn.