Objective: To identify the differences between cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma (cSLC) and non-cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma (ncSLC). Methods: Fifty-one patients with cSLC and 281 with ncSLC confirmed by surgery in our hospital between 1999 to 2000 were collected and their clinical, histological and survival features were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Patients with cSLC had more frequent manifestation of infection and weight loss. They usually experienced longer duration of pre-diagnosis and showed bigger tumor mass, larger primary tumor invasion with worse differentiated than ncSLC patients. There was no significant difference in age, sex, smoking history, family tumor history, personal tuberculosis history, disease location, TNM stage, lymph node invasion, and metastasis between the two groups. Median survival time was 29 months for cSLC and 35 months for ncSLC. One- and 3- year survival rates were 86.3% and 43.1% for cSLC vs. 91.1% and 47.0% for ncSLC respectively (P>0.05). Conclusion: Patients with cSLC presented with a bigger mass, a larger extent of primary tumor invasion, worse differentiated, more obstructed pneumonia that might result in longer duration of pre-diagnosis and more weight loss. As lack of differences in disease stages, lymph node invasion, metastasis and especially survival time with ncSLC, cSLC couldn’t be classified as a special type of squamous cell carcinoma by present evidences. Objective: To identify the differences between cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma (cSLC) and non-cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma (ncSLC). Methods: Fifty-one patients with cSLC and 281 with ncSLC confirmed by surgery in our hospital between 1999 to 2000 were collected and their clinical, histological and survival features were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Patients with cSLC had more frequent manifestation of infection and weight loss. They often had longer frequent of pre-diagnosis and showed bigger tumor mass, larger primary tumor invasion with worse differentiated than ncSLC patients. There was no significant difference in age, sex, smoking history, family tumor history, personal tuberculosis history, disease location, TNM stage, lymph node invasion, and metastasis between the two groups. Median survival time was 29 months for cSLC and 35 months for ncSLC. One- and 3-year survival rates were 86.3% and 43.1% for cSLC vs. 91.1% and 47.0% for ncSLC respectiv ely (P> 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with cSLC presented with a bigger mass, a larger extent of primary tumor invasion, worse differentiated, more obstructed pneumonia that might result in longer duration of pre-diagnosis and more weight loss. As lack of differences in disease stages, lymph node invasion, metastasis and especially survival time with ncSLC, cSLC could not be classified as a special type of squamous cell carcinoma by present evidences.