Abstract:Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy, safety, and changes in immunological indicators of sintilimab combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel and nedaplatin as first-line treatment for esophageal cancer.Methods A total of 100 patients with esophageal cancer admitted to Xuzhou First People's Hospital from May 2020 to December 2023 were selected and randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, with 50 cases in each group. The control group received treatment with albumin-bound paclitaxel and nedaplatin, while the observation group was treated with sintilimab combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel and nedaplatin. Before and after treatment, the therapeutic efficacy was assessed in two groups of patients. The tumor markers [cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)], immune function indicators, and serum levels of programmed death 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) were measured, and adverse reactions were documented.Results The disease control rate was higher in the observation group (P < 0.05). The differences in serum levels of CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCC-Ag, CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, PD-1, and PD-L1 before and after treatment were greater in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion Sintilimab combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel and nedaplatin demonstrates favorable efficacy in esophageal cancer, improves immune function, reduces tumor marker levels, and is associated with tolerable adverse effects, suggesting its potential for clinical application.