Abstract: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Although early-stage lung cancer is curable, the survival rate of patients with advanced-stage lung cancer is extremely low. Therefore, early detection and intervention are critical for improving the prognosis of patients with lung cancer. Though previous studies have shown that low-dose computed tomography screening can reduce lung cancer-related mortality among high-risk individuals, there remains much room for improving the process, such as the selection of high-risk populations and differentiation of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. This study combined our team’s research on the early screening and diagnosis of lung cancer to review the current research progress in areas such as the utilization of data mining and Mendelian randomization analysis to explore novel risk factors for lung cancer, the development of artificial intelligence and circulating tumor DNA detection tools to aid in the differential diagnosis and treatment of high-risk nodules, and the use of novel drug treatment modes for ultra-early lung cancers. We hope the study findings will aid colleagues in clinical practice and research.