Objective To assess the psychological status of patients with lung cancer in ward preliminarily for providing the theoretical support for further clinical treatment. Methods Lung cancer patients were enrolled in this study during the period from January 2016 to January 2017, when they were being treated in the respiratory ward of Nanjing General Hospital. Their psychological status was assessed by using Symptom Check List 90, and the results with their demographic information and somatic symptoms were combined. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 18.0 software. Results This study included 239 inpatients, out of them 161 patients were male (67.4%), and the average age was 60.7±9.9 years. Sixty patients had a positive psychological status. The incidence of depression was 11.3% (27/239), of anxiety 4.2% (10/239), and of the total psychological disorder 25.1%. The patients had more serious psychological problems, when they had a longer course, more autonomic symptoms, or a lower score of Karnofsky performance scale, etc. Conclusion More serious psychological problems exist in patients with lung cancer, so it has the clinical significance for their timely psychological assessment.