In surgical therapy for upper gastrointestinal cancer, adequate lymphadenectomy together with R0 resection of the primary tumour is one of the most important prognostic factors which can be influenced by the surgeon. Recommendations for localization- and stage-adapted lymphadenectomy can be made according to histopathologic and anatomic investigations of the patient collectives of large centres. After neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in cancer of the cervical oesophagus, the absence of lymph nodes on the resected specimen seems to be of less prognostic value. In squamous cell cancer of the suprabifurcal oesophagus, radical lymphadenectomy is recommended. Despite significant morbidity, in specialized centres this procedure yields good results with low mortality. For infrabifurcal oesophageal cancer, two-field lymphadenectomy during the so-called Ivor-Lewis operation is the method of choice. Locally advanced Barrett carcinoma is also an indication for classic two-field lymphadenectomy together with abdominothoracic oesophagectomy and creation of a stomach tube with intrathoracic anastomosis. The lymphadenectomy should however include the area of retroperitoneal lymphatic drainage at the pedicle of the left kidney. Submucosal cancer in this area can be treated with luminal limited resection of the oesophagogastric junction with adequate lymphadenectomy. Adenocarcinoma of the cardia and subcardial gastric cancer including the cardia both require lymphadenectomy analogous to that performed in gastric cancer, with special attention paid to the retroperitoneal lymphatic drainage towards the left kidney pedicle. For therapy of gastric cancer, a systematic D2 lymphadenectomy should always be performed.