Objective To investigate the expression of nuclear-associated antigen ki-67 (Ki67) and p53 in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patientsand their association with prognosis. Methods Immunohistochemistry (IHC) semi-quantitative method was utilizedfor expression of Ki67 and p53 in tumor tissues. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on expression levels of Ki67 and p53: group A in which both Ki67 and p53 were highly expressed; group B in which Ki67 was highly expressed and p53 was lowly expressed; group C in which Ki67 was lowly expressed and p53 was highly expressed; group D in which both Ki67 and p53 were lowly expressed. Correlation of Ki67 and p53 expression with survival was identified. Results Week correlation between Ki67 positive rate and survival time of NSCLC patients was identified (r = -0.200, P = 0.030) while no correlation between p53 positive rate and survival time of NSCLC patients (r = 0.003, P = 0.050) was founded. Univariate analysis showed that coexpression of Ki67 and p53, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging had significant impact on the survival of patients (P = 0.000). Median survival time and 1 to 5-year survival rates of patients was increased significantly in patients with low expression of Ki67 and p53 (group D). Cox regression analysis showed that lower TNM staging indicated prolonged median survival time and lower the risk of death. Conclusion Lower TNM staging and double negative expression of Ki67 and p53 suggest better outcome of patients with NSCLC.