Objective To investigate the correlation between serum amyloid A (SAA), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and the pathological characteristics and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer. Methods Eighty-four cases of non-small cell lung cancer patients who attended Shangqiu Municipal Hospital from March 2021 to July 2023 were selected as the study group, which were categorized into patients with poor and good prognosis according to different prognoses, and 80 cases of benign lung lesions admitted to the same hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. The levels of serum SAA, IGF-1 and TIMP-1 at the time of admission were compared between the two groups; the levels of serum indicators at the time of admission were compared between non-small cell lung cancer patients with different pathologic parameters and patients with different prognoses. ROC was used to analyze the predictive value of poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients by the combined detection of serum levels of various indexes at the time of admission. Results The levels of SAA, IGF-1 and TIMP-1 of the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P< 0.05). The levels of SAA, IGF-1 and TIMP-1 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with different pathological parameters were lower in stages Ⅰ and Ⅱ than in stages Ⅲ and Ⅳ, and no lymph node metastasis was lower than having lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Serum levels of SAA, IGF-1 and TIMP-1 in patients with poor prognosis were significantly higher than those in patients with good prognosis (P<0.05). The combined detection of serum SAA, IGF-1 and TIMP-1 levels on admission had high predictive value for poor prognosis of NSCLC. Conclusion The expression of serum SAA, IGF-1, and TIMP-1 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer is associated with their pathological characteristics and prognosis, and the detection of its expression is of great value in determining the degree of the patient's condition and evaluating the prognosis.