Many centers use CY and G-CSF to mobilize PBPC. In this study we explored whether a standard chemotherapy regimen consisting of mitoguazon, ifosfamide, MTX and etoposide (MIME) combined with G-CSF was capable of mobilizing PBPC in lymphoma patients. Twelve patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) and 38 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were mobilized with MIME/G-CSF. Most patients were heavily treated with different chemotherapy regimens receiving a median of 11 cycles (range 3 to 20) of chemotherapy prior to mobilization. It was found that the optimal time of PBPC harvest was at days 12 and 13 after initiating the mobilization regimen. The median number of collected CD34+ cells per kg body weight was 7.1 x 10(6) (range 0.5-26.2). More than 2.0 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg were achieved in 69% of the patients after one apheresis. When additional cycles of apheresis were done, only 6% failed to harvest this number of CD34+ cells. There was a statistically significant inverse correlation between the number of prior chemotherapy cycles and CD34+ cell yield (P = 0.003). No such association was found between CD34+ cell yield and prior radiotherapy. When MIME/G-CSF was compared with Dexa-BEAM/G-CSF, it was found that MIME/G-CSF tended to be more efficient in mobilizing PBPC in spite of being less myelotoxic. All patients transplanted with MIME/G-CSF mobilized PBPC had fast and sustained engraftment. These results demonstrate that an ordinary salvage chemotherapy regimen, such as MIME combined with G-CSF can be successfully used to mobilize PBPC.