Surgery is an essential method of comprehensive treatment for lung cancer, but it also impairs patients’ cardiopulmonary function. A subset of patients who undergo surgery may suffer from postoperative complications, and even death. Preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation is a part of enhanced recovery after surgery, and can improve patients' cardiopulmonary function, reduce postoperative complication rate and shorten hospital stay. It has been already demonstrated a great value in lung cancer surgery. In this review, we summarized the three important components of preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation, including smoking cessation, chest physical therapy, and preoperative exercise training. Moreover, this review outlined the development of pulmonary rehabilitation for lung malignancies, aiming to promote its application and standardization.