BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence and mortality from various digestive cancer sites and their potential link with pleural plaques, in a French cohort of workers previously occupationally exposed to asbestos. METHODS: We conducted a 10-year follow-up study in 13,481 male subjects, included in the cohort between October 2003 and December 2005, for whom asbestos exposure was assessed by calculation of a cumulative exposure index (CEI) in equivalent fibres.years/mL for each subject. We conducted an incidence study and a mortality study. Complementary analysis was restricted to men who had performed at least one chest CT-scan (N = 4,794). We used a Cox model with age as the time axis variable, adjusted for smoking, time since first exposure (TSFE), CEI to asbestos and the existence of pleural plaques on CT-scan. RESULTS: In the incidence study, a significant dose-response relationship was observed between CEI to asbestos and oesophageal cancer (HR 1.03, 95% CI [1.01-1.06]) in the entire cohort after adjustment for TSFE and smoking status. In subjects undergoing CT-scan, a significant association between pleural plaques was observed for oesophageal cancer incidence (HR 2.80, 95% CI [1.09-7.20]) and in the mortality study, multivariate analyses showed a significant dose-effect response between CEI to asbestos and death from oesophageal cancer (HR 1.03, 95% CI [1.00-1.05]) in the entire cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This large-scale study confirms results concerning a likely relationship between asbestos exposure and oesophageal cancer, and the association between this cancer and pleural plaques after adjustment on CEI to asbestos.