Abstract: Squamous cell lung cancer is typically found in smokers. Much of the focus to date has been on adenocarcinoma and never-to-light smokers， and the current state of knowledge of the genomic alterations in squamous cell lung cancer lags behind what is known in adenocarcinoma. Further progress in nonsmall cell lung cancer will require the identification and effective targeting of molecular alterations in all subtypes of lung cancer. There are already several potential target mutations that are being actively pursued in clinical trials， and the upcoming cancer genome atlas analysis in squamous cell should also provide a model for genotyping. Here， we review the current knowledge about the molecular alterations found in lung squamous cell carcinoma.