Aim: Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) has been used to predict the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients; however, limited data is available on advanced NSCLC patients of China. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the prognostic role of GPS in advanced NSCLC patients of China, receiving platinum-based first-line chemotherapy. Methods: Two hundred and seven advanced NSCLC patients of Chinese origin were prospectively and consecutively hospitalized between March 2011 and September 2014. They received platinum-based first-line chemotherapy. The main outcome measures included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: The duration of median follow-up was 14.0 mo (range, 3.4-49.5 mo). The median OS of patients with GPS 2, 1, and 0 was 14.3 mo (8.5-20.2 mo), 15.9 mo (13.6-18.2 mo) and 19.1 mo (16.6-21.6 mo), respectively. The median PFS of patients with GPS 2, 1 and 0 was 8.3 mo (6.9-9.7 mo), 8.9 mo (8.0-9.7 mo) and 10.5 mo (8.8-12.1 mo), respectively. The results of univariate analysis indicated that GPS 2 is associated with a significantly shorter PFS (P=0.015) but not OS (P>0.05), while the results of multivariate analysis indicated that GPS 2 is associated with significantly shorter OS (P=0.049) and PFS (P=0.021). Conclusions: GPS 2 is an independent prognostic factor for poor OS and PFS in advanced NSCLC patients of China; these patients received platinum-based first-line chemotherapy.