Abstract: Lung cancer is associated with individual susceptibility.DNA repair gene polymorphisms lead to different DNA damage responses, and the occurrence of lung cancer is closely related to the diverse DNA repair capacities among individuals.The association of DNA repair gene polymorphisms with lung cancer susceptibility has become a focal point in lung cancer research.We examined local and international publications and reviewed the reported mechanisms of DNA repair genes as well as the relationship between polymorphisms of these genes and lung cancer susceptibility.Our review mainly includes the following: types of DNA damage and repair; different mechanisms of DNA repair genes and the relationship between their polymorphisms and lung cancer susceptibility; and association of DNA repair gene polymorphisms with sensitivity to chemotherapy during lung cancer.