In view of the functional loss of tumor suppressors being associated to drug resistance in most of lung cancers, we have demonstrated dose-dependent ganciclovir (GCV)-induced cytotoxicity following delivery of recombinant prodrug herpes simplex virus type I thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) cDNA in highly metastatic and tumorigenic human non-small-cell-lung cancer (NSCLC) cells H1437 with mutant p53 (R267P). It is found that cells with acquisition of HSV-tk cDNA conferred GCV susceptibility to the selected clones and the effect proved proportional to the level of HSV-TK expressed both in vivo and in vitro. The inhibition of cell proliferation in culture and the regression of xenograft tumors in nude mice were demonstrated caused by triggering senescence program as a result of GCV exposure in the selected HSV-tk clones. The potent bystander effects both in vivo and in vitro systems was found correlated with HSV-TK expressed accordingly. In addition, H1437 cells underwent ecotopic transfer of HSV-tk lead to S- and G2/M-phase arrest after GCV induction prior to emergence of senescence-like phenotype that expression of the senescence marker SA-β-gal and enlarged and fattened morphology. And we also observed that transfectant cells were growth-retarded after drug treatment by PKH67 fluorescence detection. To address more in-depth mechanism leading to senescence phenotype, we identified two steps prior to cell death as triggered by senescence progression: (a) decreased expression and activity of telomerase (b) escalation of endogenous cell cycle modulators, cyclin A and cyclin B1. Taken all the work together, we concluded that HSV-tk/GCV system constitutes an effective treatment in human NSCLC cells with mutated p53 and the pathway leading to cell death through senescence activation ought to become an alternative and effective approach in restraining growth of human NSCLC cells lacking functional p53.