Abstract: Lung cancer exhibits the highest incidence and mortality rates among all malignancies in China， with non⁃small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being predominant subtype， thereby posing a significant  threat to public health. Within the framework of cancer immunosurveillance， natural killer T (NKT) cells  function as crucial effector cells in anti⁃tumor immunity by rapidly initiating dual immune responses through their distinctive CD1d⁃restricted lipid antigen recognition mechanism， leading to the elimination of tumor cells. NKT cells are primarily categorized into two subgroups based on T⁃cell receptor (TCR)  expression:  typeⅠNKT cells (also referred to as invariant NKT or iNKT cells) and typeⅡNKT cells. iNKT cells can mediate anti⁃tumor immune responses through various mechanisms， including the lysis of CD1d+ tumor cells， activation of antigen⁃presenting cell (APC)， inhibition of CD1d+ immunosuppressive cells， and enhancement of tumor⁃targeted immune memory. In recent years， immunotherapies targeting lung cancer， such as in vitro expansion， in vivo activation， Genetic engineering modification， and combination therapies of iNKT cells， have shown significant potential in preclinical studies. However， their translation into clinical applications remains challenging. Therefore， this review elucidates the mechanisms by which iNKT cells contribute to tumor immunity， and examines the research advancements and challenges  associated with iNKT cell⁃based immunotherapy for lung cancer. It aims to provide a strategic direction for clinical development of iNKT cell therapies for NSCLC.

Key words: Non?small cell lung cancer, TypeⅠnatural killer T cell, Tumor immunology, Cell therapy