Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a new member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily. It is involved in various pathophysiological processes such as anorexia, weight regulation, inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, fibrosis, cancer, etc. It is an important growth transformation factor. Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. It has a high morbidity and mortality rate. Despite the development of new chemotherapeutic drugs and molecular targeted drugs and radiotherapy technology, the prognosis of lung cancer is still poor, the mechanisms that influence its prognosis are not yet clear. In this paper, the relationship between GDF-15 and lung cancer was reviewed from the following aspects: GDF-15 and its specific receptor GFRAL, upstream regulatory gene p53, GDF-15/PI3K/AKT, GDF-15/TGF-β/SMAD signal transduction pathway, how GDF-15 plays a role in regulating the invasion and metastasis of lung cancer, the role of GDF-15 in lung cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the elevation of serum GDF-15 in lung cancer often suggest adverse prognosis.