p53R2 is a small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (RR) which has 80% homology to hRRM2 and metastasis-suppressing potential. Previous reports suggested that the expression of p53R2 is used as a prognostic factor and chemotherapy response indicator in several types of cancer. This study aimed to elucidate the association of p53R2 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Immunohistochemistry was conducted on a tissue array including 92 early stage NSCLC samples. Correlations between p53R2 and clinicopathological factors, recurrence/metastasis and outcomes were analyzed. The analyses showed that there was no correlation between p53R2 expression and the clinicopathological factors. Among disease-free patients during follow-up, patients with p53R2(+) had a better outcome than those with p53R2(-) (P=0.022). By using Cox multivariate regression analysis, p53R2 (risk factor 3.801; 95% CI 1.004-9.454; P=0.044) served as a prognostic biomarker in the prediction of the survival rate for NSCLC patients. Detection of the RR subunit p53R2 may therefore be a useful prognostic marker in early stage NSCLC.