The pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin has been studied in 26 sarcoma patients receiving polychemotherapy. Mean elimination half-life was 34.7 +/- 16.6 h and the total plasma clearance was 29.5 +/- 9.31 X h-1 X m-2. No relationship was found between the pharmacokinetic parameters and the response to treatment, or its toxicity. Special attention was paid to the early-phase kinetics of the drug (3-20 min after injection). A correlation between the early clearance and the ages of the patients was observed. The early clearance was clearly correlated with the total plasma clearance measured over 48 h after injection, indicating the importance of the distribution phase in the overall kinetics of the drug.