For patients with oesophageal carcinoma and concomitant liver cirrhosis, the safety profile and postoperative prognosis of oesophagectomy are not clearly established due to the lack of relevant studies with large sample sizes. Our objective was to explore the surgical indications and postoperative prognosis in patients with oesophageal carcinoma and liver cirrhosis. A total of 2226 patients with oesophageal carcinoma underwent curative oesophagectomy (37 with liver cirrhosis and 2189 without) in our department from April 2008 to September 2013. Overall, 37 patients with liver cirrhosis (30 Child-Pugh Grade A and 7 Child-Pugh Grade B) and a propensity-matched cohort of 74 patients without cirrhosis were analysed. We compared the rates of postoperative complications and 5-year survival in these 2 groups. In addition, we performed an analysis of any potential risk factors for death, including patient demographic information and of operation performed. A higher operative mortality rate was observed in patients with oesophageal carcinoma and liver cirrhosis compared to patients with oesophageal carcinoma but without cirrhosis (11 vs 1%, P = 0.042). Patients with cirrhosis included those with Child-Pugh Grade B (43%), preoperative moderate ascites (100%), a prothrombin time of ≥ 4 s (75%) and greater weight loss. Although the rates of surgical death and postoperative hydrothorax were significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis, the rates of other major complications and 5-year overall survival were not significantly different compared to patients without cirrhosis. Curative oesophagectomy is a feasible, beneficial treatment option for patients with oesophageal carcinoma and liver cirrhosis, with a higher perioperative risk but reasonable longer term survival compared to patients without cirrhosis. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.