Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and also the first cause of death of malignant tumors in China. Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for more than 80% of all lung cancer cases. Up to now, surgery is still the primary treatment for Nonsmallcell lung cancer. However, most patients can not undergo surgical resection because of poor cardiopulmonary function, advanced tumor or refusal of surgery. Therefore, many scholars began to look for new treatment methods to solve the current problems. In recent years, microwave ablation (MWA) has attracted people's attention because of its wide application range, good effect and fewer complications. And it also solves some short plates of surgical resection. For the treatment of lung cancer, how to choose between surgical resection and MWA has been puzzling scholars all over the world. This article would like to review and compare surgical resection and MWA in the application of lung cancer to provide a reference for the selection of treatment of lung cancer.