Objective　To study the expression of p16, Rb proteins and their relationship. Methods　The expression of p16, Rb in 74 cases of NSCLC and 10 cases of normal lung tissues were studied by SP immunohistochemical technique. Results　p16 protein deletion rate in NSCLC was 45.95％, which was higher than that in normal lung tissue （P＜0.01）. p16 protein deletion correlated remarkably with lymph node metastasis（P＜0.01）. Rb protein deletion rate in NSCLC was 28.38％. No significant correlation of Rb deletion rate was found between NSCLC and normal lung tissues （P＞0.05）. p16 expression showed negative correlation with Rb expression（P＜0.05）. Conclusion　p16 deletion may play an important role in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of NSCLC. There may be a negative feedback pathway between p16 and Rb.