Objective The aim of the study is to investigate the expression of HIF-1α and its relationgship to angiogenesis and apoptosis in nonsmall cell lung cancer(NSCLC), and evaluate its roles in the transformation of NSCLC. Methods The expression of HIF-1α was detected by immunohistochemical staining in the normal lung tissues, the benign lesion, the precancerous lesion, the carcinoma in situ, NSCLC and lymph nodes with metastatic lung cancer. The expression of VEGF was detected by immunohistochemical staining in lung cancer. Apoptotic cells were detected with a nonradioactive 3’end DNA labeling technique(TUNEL reaction) in part of NSCLC. Results The positive rates of HIF-1α found in the precancerous lesion, the carcinoma in situ, lung cancer and the lymph nodes with metastatic lung cancer, were remarkably higher than those in the normal lung tissues and the benign lung lesion. The expression of HIF-1α was only correlated positively with survival time of patients. The expression of VEGF was correlated positively with that of HIF-1α, and negatively to the prognosis of patients. Apoptotic index(AI) was not related to the histological classification and differentiation in stage Ⅰ lung cancer, but AI in the patients whose survival time was above 5 years was remarkably higher than that in the patients whose survival time was below 5 years. AI was correlated positively with the expression of HIF1α.Conclusion The positive rate of HIF-1α in NSCLC