Lung cancer is one of the malignancies with a substantial global disease burden. Radiotherapy is an important component of comprehensive lung cancer treatment and can be used for curative treatment and local consolidation, as well as for control of progressive lesions or symptom palliation. With advances in precision radiotherapy and refinement of clinical stratification, accurately identifying patients who may benefit from radiotherapy has become increasingly important, and the timing, therapeutic intent, and integration of radiotherapy with systemic therapy should be tailored to disease stage. The development of systemic therapies, including immunotherapy and targeted therapy, has further changed the role of radiotherapy across different clinical settings. In recent years, randomized studies have further clarified treatment pathways in settings such as early-stage non-small cell lung cancer and unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer, while also showing that, in some clinical settings, dose intensification, earlier intervention, or routine addition of local therapy does not necessarily translate into survival benefit. Based on key clinical evidence, this article reviews the role of radiotherapy in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer, postoperative and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, and small cell lung cancer, with a focus on patient selection, treatment timing and intent, and integration with systemic therapy, and discusses the applicability of current evidence and remaining clinical questions