This study sought to investigate the analgesic effects of nalbuphine on patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy during the perioperative period, as well as its effects on inflammatory cytokines. We selected 92 patients with early lung cancer who were admitted to Xiangyang No. 1 People's Hospital between January 2016 and December 2016. The patients were randomly divided into control and observation groups (n=46 each). All patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy, with those in the observation group receiving intravenous nalbuphine hydrochloride prior to induction (the control group received saline). Intraoperative blood loss, operation time and anesthetic dosages were compared between groups. The analgesic effects during the perioperative period were compared using a visual analogue scale. The adverse effects of anesthetics (nausea, vomiting, dizziness and drowsiness) were compared between the two groups. Finally, serum inflammatory cytokine [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10] levels were measured using ELISA at 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after operation. There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss and operation time between the two groups (p>0.05). However, dosages of propofol and remifentanil used were lower in the observation group than in the control group (p<0.05), and the effective rate of postoperative analgesia in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). The degree of postoperative pain in both groups were lower than preoperative rates (p<0.05), while the incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05). Finally, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 levels were significantly lower in the observation group relative to the control group at 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after operation (p<0.05). Therefore, nalbuphine has a significant analgesic effect during thoracoscopic lobectomy. The application of nalbuphine can reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, reduce postoperative inflammatory responses, and promote rapid patient recovery, thus demonstrating the clinical value of nalbuphine.