Carcinomas of the hypopharynx and the cervical esophagus carry poor prognosis regardless of any treatment modality. To improve long-term survival, prognostic factors for overall survival after surgical resection of these tumors were investigated. Clinical and pathological data from 52 patients undergoing surgical resection for hypopharyngeal (n = 20) and cervical esophageal (n = 32) cancers were reviewed to assess treatment outcomes and prognostic factors. The in-hospital mortality and morbidity rates were 13.5% and 50%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate of the 52 patients was 31.2%. The depth of tumor invasion, quality of tumor clearance, gender of the patients, postoperative complications, and intramural metastasis were revealed by the univariate analysis to be significant prognostic factors. The first four of these factors were specified by the multivariate analysis as independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Complete clearance of loco-regional disease and prevention of postoperative complications are of particular importance for the improvement of long-term survival in patients with these cancers.