Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common and fatal malignant tumor of the digestive tract, characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and anti-cancer drugs, the five-year survival rate remains low. Therefore, exploring effective therapeutic agents to inhibit the proliferation and invasion of EC is crucial. In this study, a novel coordination polymer CP1 was synthesized by reacting the bifunctional ligand 2,5-bis(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)terephthalic acid (H2dttpa) containing carboxylic acid and triazolyl groups with Cu(NO3)2·3H2O in a mixed solvent of water and N,N-dimethylformamide. Structural analysis revealed that CP1 adopts a two-dimensional layered network with a trinodal (3,4,4)-connected topology. Furthermore, CP1 exhibits excellent fluorescent properties due to charge transfer from the ligand to the metal, making it suitable for selective and sensitive fluorescence sensing of Fe3+ with a quenching efficiency of up to 90.5 %. This indicates the potential application of CP1 as a fluorescent sensor for Fe3+ detection. Moreover, paclitaxel was selected as a model drug to form a prodrug (CP1@Paclitaxel) with hydrogen bonding enhancing the interaction between the prodrug and CP1. The photothermal properties of CP1@Paclitaxel were investigated, showing an increase of 13 °C and 25 °C, respectively, in a concentration-dependent manner. The therapeutic activity of the newly synthesized system against EC cancer was evaluated, and its specific mechanism of action was investigated. This design provides a novel approach to address drug delivery issues in EC and offers a flexible strategy for expanding the biomedical applications of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).