Abstract: Objective: To summarize our experience in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of 58 cases of large cell lung cancer (LCLC), to explore the clinical and pathological features and to investigate the factors that influence patient survival. Methods: Clinical data from 58 inpatients with LCLC treated in our hospital from 1980 to 2004 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There were 47 males and 11 females, giving a male:female ratio of 4.3:1. Patient age ranged from 35 to 73 years old. These 58 cases of LCLC comprised 2.1% of the 2,754 cases of lung cancer pathologically confirmed during that time period. According to The New TNM Classification in Lung Carcinoma (1997), 9 cases were stage Ⅰa, 18 cases were stage Ⅰb, 4 cases were stage Ⅱa, 5 cases were stage Ⅱb, 16 cases were stage Ⅲa, 4 cases were stage Ⅲb and 2 cases were stage Ⅳ. The total 1-year survival rate was 77.6%, the 3-year survival rate was 37.2% and the 5-year survival rate was 29.7%. The survival rate was higher than that of small cell carcinoma and lower than that of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The main prognostic factors were TNM staging(P=0.011), N stage(P=0.013) and surgical outcome (P=0.003). Conclusion: LCLC is a malignant disease with poor prognosis. TNM staging, lymph node metastasis and radical excision are important factors influencing long-term survival. Early detection of LCLC, early surgical intervention and adjunct multi-modality treatment are effective procedures for increasing the survival rate.