The survival time of lung cancer after the development of pleural effusion cannot be generalized and is related to the severity of the patient’s disease, the presence or absence of metastasis and individual physical status. Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the lung, and its incidence has been on the rise in recent years. If lung cancer is combined with pleural fluid, it is mostly indicated as advanced malignant pleural fluid of lung cancer, and patients show symptoms such as cough, coughing, chest tightness and chest pain. At this time, CT examination may reveal pleural nodules, which may suggest pleural metastasis of lung cancer. If chest irrigation chemotherapy, chest aspiration therapy and targeted therapy are actively taken, the survival period of patients is about 2-3 years. Clinical data show that patients with small cell lung cancer resulting in pleural effusion have a survival period of about 1-2 years, while patients with non-small cell lung cancer can also survive for about 3 years if they take the above aggressive treatments. It is recommended that patients with advanced lung cancer should also actively take treatment, maintain a good psychological state, pay attention to rest and eat more high-protein food.