Abstract: Lung cancer, the second most prevalent cancer in the world with a persistently high mortality rate, threatens the life and health of all humanity. With the development of clinical trials, the treatment options for lung cancer have been enriched, and the understanding of the timing of intervention has become more explicit than before. Thus, the prognosis of lung cancer has significantly improved. However, unmet clinical needs still exist. This review provides the global trend of clinical research in lung cancer treatment and describes the evolution of clinical trials in terms of design, implementation, and regulation. The change in study endpoints is conducive to shortening the research and development cycle and accelerating the launch of drugs. The refinement of study populations and therapeutic targets facilitates the realization of the maximum efficacy of precision treatment. The integration of comprehensive and diversified therapeutic strategies and the combination of prevention and treatment further promote the improvement of survival and the alleviation of social burden. This review also proposes a prospective direction for future development of clinical research in lung cancer.