The aim of this study was to review autopsy findings in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) patients (pts)--in order to assess the distribution of the disease at the time of death and to analyse the pattern of SCLC in relation with different therapeutic modalities. The pattern of autopsy findings was assessed in 100 pts SCLC: 85 pts after treatment with chemotherapy, with or without chest and cranial irradiation; and 15 pts without any therapy. The primary tumours were present in 59% pts (50 of 85), the residual tumour deposits were diagnosed in 32% (27 of 85) pts. The significant difference in the rate of locoregional disease was found between pts given chemotherapy and pts after combined therapy. The tumours occurred significantly more frequently in pts after chemotherapy, than in pts after chemotherapy with irradiation on the chest (75% and 41% respectively, p = 0.03). The chest irradiation with chemotherapy caused less frequent occurrence of the residual tumours than chemotherapy alone (48% and 20%, respectively, p = 0.026). The rate of brain metastases was significantly higher in pts given chemotherapy than in pts treated with chemotherapy and chest irradiation or chemotherapy and curative brain irradiation (90%, 67% and 36% of 50 cases, respectively). Distant metastases were distributed in the same pattern in both studied groups. The distribution of metastases was not dependent on the disease extent at the time of diagnosis.