OBJECTIVES: The incidence of lung cancer has increased rapidly in recent years and it become the leading cause of cancer mortality for years. The objective of this study is to review the incidence rate and burden of illness of NSCLC in China. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed, searched databases included PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CNKI and Wanfang Data. Articles published in English or Chinese between January 2005 to December 2015 related to epidemiology and costs of lung cancer were identified. Costs were converted to US dollars. RESULTS: In 2012, the incidence and mortality rate of lung cancer in China was 52.06 per 100000 population and 42.05 per 100000 population respectively. In 2015, the total direct medical cost of lung cancer in China was estimated to be $ 3.9 billion. On personal level, the average annual direct medical cost ranges from $ 8522.42 to $ 14519, most of the cost attributed to hospitalization.  CONCLUSIONS: With significant incidence and mortality rate, lung cancer is associated with substantial medical costs and resource use  in China, and causes enormous economic pressure to patients and medical insurance. Promoting personalized treatment and seeking new measures to control medical cost is necessary.