Abstract: Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of MTV based on¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated by surgical treatment. Methods Clinical data about 82 patients with NSCLC who underwent FDG-PET imaging for pretreatment staging in Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2010 to July 2011 were collected. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method in SPSS19.0 software. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate prognostic variables and to test whether the MTV was an independent prognostic factor. Results The estimated median survival time for the 82 patient were 41 months, and the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rate was 86%, 79%, 55%, respectively. Univariate analysis suggested that T stage, N stage, AJCC stage, treatment method, maximum diameter, SUV_maxand MTV had significant differences on prognostic impact (P< 0.05). Multivariate analysis suggested that N stage, AJCC stage and MTV value entered the regression equation, and MTV value was an independent prognostic factor with RR=3.374. Conclusion The MTV value is an independent prognostic factor in patients with NSCLC treated by surgical treatment.