Outcome of treatment in patients with small cell lung cancer in poor performance status

<b>Background:</b> Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with poor performance status (PS) especially in the elderly may not benefit from chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to compare survival of treated patients with PS 3-4 with untreated patients. <b>Material and methods:</b> We reviewed the medical records and pathology data for 448 patients diagnosed with small cell carcinoma from 2010 to 2015 and selected all patients in PS 3-4 for review. <b>Results:</b> A total of 87 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 53 (61%) received chemotherapy (CT), while 34 (39%) did not. The median overall survival (OS) was 5.1 months for the treated patients and 0.7 month for the untreated (<i>p</i> <b>Conclusion:</b> CT was associated with improved survival in patients with SCLC with PS 3-4 independent of age and stage of disease. Neither ED, high age, nor poor PS should be used as criteria for omitting CT.