ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of multidisciplinary team (MDT) on perioperative complications and clinical efficacy of patients who were receiver radical operation to treat lung cancer by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). MethodsEighty patients in the Thoracic Surgery Department of First Hospital of Lanzhou University from December 2017 to February 2019 who were diagnosed lung cancer were divided into two groups. Forty patients in the MDT group were treated with MDT discussion. The control group consisted of 40 patients who were treated without MDT discussion. The incidence of postoperative complications and clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups . ResultsThere was no statistical difference in incision infection, atelectasis, pleural effusion and pulmonary leakage between the two groups. However, the incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection (5% vs. 20%, P=0.043) and the overall postoperative complications (17.5% vs. 42.5%, P=0.015) in the MDT group was lower than that in the control group with a statistical difference. In the MDT group, the operative time (140.3±8.0 min vs. 148.8±6.8 min, P<0.001), intraoperative bleeding ( 207.8±19.4 mL vs. 222.0±28.3 mL, P=0.010), lymph node dissection number (25.1±6.2 vs. 20.1±7.0, P=0.001), postoperative drainage (273.0±33.5 mL vs. 24.0±52.5 mL, P<0.001), drainage duration (81.9±6.1 h vs. 85.3±8.1 h, P=0.039), pain on the first day after surgery (4.6±0.7 vs. 5.4±0.7), P<0.001), pain on the second day (2.5±0.7 vs. 3.0±0.8, P=0.002), pain on the third day (1.1±0.8 vs. 1.5±0.6, P=0.014), postoperative activity time (40.7±6.7 h vs. 35.3±7.1 h, P<0.001), postoperative recovery time (6.8±0.9 d vs. 7.4±0.7 d, P=0.003), patient satisfaction (8.1±1.4 vs. 7.2±2.0, P=0.020) were significantly better than those of the control group with statistical differences. But there was no statistical difference in the conversion to thoracotomy between the two group. ConclusionMDT discussion can reduce the surgical risk and postoperative complications, improve the clinical efficacy and accelerate the postoperative rehabilitation of patients, which has a good clinical significance.