This is a report of 121 cases of advanced esophageal and cardia cancer managed by endoscopic and surgical esophageal intubation. They were submitted to surgical intubation 69 (53%) patients, and 52 (47%) to endoscopic intubation. There were 32.5% of technical complications in endoscopic intubation and 26.5% in surgical intubation. Perfuration was more frequent (11.5%) in endoscopic intubation than surgical group. Mortality rate was 17.3% for endoscopic and 5.8% for surgical intubation. Perfuration was the main cause of death in endoscopic intubation. Survival rate was 3.5 months for endoscopic and 4.7 months for surgical intubation. The majority of patients died of cancer evolution--caquexia (55.5%), carcinomatosis (4.5%) and brain methastasis (1.1%). The results of endoscopic and surgical intubation in this group of patients recommend its use in patients with advanced esophageal and cardic cancer.