Background To compared the patterns of lymph node recurrence after different prophylactic therapies to identify specific and effective target areas for prophylactic radiotherapy. Methods This retrospective study enrolled patients with recurrence from August 2011 to November 2015, who underwent different prophylactic therapies for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after radical surgery previously. The patients were divided into unprotected, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiochemotherapy groups. The recurrence patterns between these groups were compared. Results A total of 186 patients who met the above criteria were enrolled. The recurrence ratios of regional lymph nodes were 84.2%, 31.3%, 84.0%, and 48.0% in the unprotected, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiochemotherapy groups, respectively. The recurrence ratio of regional lymph nodes in patients who received radiotherapy was significantly decreased ( P =0.009). The recurrence ratio of superior mediastinal lymph node was significantly lower than those of the chemotherapy and unprotected groups ( P =0.000). The recurrence ratios of the radiotherapy group with and without epigastrium coverage were 4/16 and 4/25, respectively, indicating no statistical difference with those of other groups ( P =0.259). The recurrence ratios with and without the coverage of anastomotic sites were 2/19 and 3/22, respectively, revealing no statistical difference with those of other groups ( P =0.712). Conclusion Prophylactic radiotherapy can significantly reduce the recurrence of regional lymph nodes, especially lymph node recurrence on the superior mediastinum.