ObjectiveTo clarify the effectiveness of preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation (PPR) and provide evidence for the application of PPR on lung cancer patients by meta-analysis.MethodsAccording to inclusion and exclusion criteria, literatures related to PPR on lung cancer patients were retrieved from major databases between the date of establishment of each database and January 2019, and then data required were extracted from the selected literatures. Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.0.ResultsTwelve randomized controlled trials were involved in meta-analysis, including 658 patients who were well-diagnosed and prepared for surgery, with 307 patients in the PPR group and 351 patients in the control group. The results of the meta-analysis showed that in the PPR group, the pulmonary function including forced vital capacity [MD=0.31, 95%CI (0.21, 0.42), P<0.01], forced expiratory volume in one second [MD=0.27, 95%CI (0.20, 0.34), P<0.01] and activity tolerance including 6-minute walk distance [MD=50.55, 95%CI (35.98, 65.13), P<0.01] were significantly better than the control group, and the postoperative complication rate was lower ［MD=0.28, 95%CI (0.18, 0.43), P<0.01］, postoperative hospital stay was shorter [MD=–2.09, 95%CI (–2.41, –1.77), P<0.01].ConclusionsA period of PPR on lung cancer patients can improve postoperative pulmonary function and activity tolerance, and reduce postoperative complications and hospital stay, which is beneficial to postoperative recovery.