We have treated 75 transplant-eligible patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma using an outpatient-based fractionated regimen of ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (ICE) for both salvage and stem cell mobilisation. Patients included DLBC (n = 33), follicular (n = 23), NK/T-cell (n = 3), mantle cell (n = 3) and Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 13). Cycles of outpatient ICE were given every 21 days and consisted of: ifosfamide 5000 mg/m(2) i.v. fractionated into three equally divided doses and infused over 2-3 h on days 1-3, carboplatin (mg dose = 5 x AUC) i.v. over 1 h on day 1; and etoposide 100 mg/m(2) i.v. daily on days 1-3, plus filgrastim 5 microg/kg/day. Most patients with indolent lymphoma also received rituximab. The median age of patients was 52 years (range 26-69 years). Patients received a mean of 2.8 cycles of ICE. Non-haematological toxicities included grade 1/2 CNS toxicity in four patients, cardiac toxicity in two, reversible renal impairment and haematuria in one each. Haematological toxicity included grades III/IV thrombocytopenia and neutropenia with at least one cycle of ICE in 71% and 72% of patients, respectively. The median time to PBSC harvest was 14 days (range 10-20 days), while the median CD34(+) cell yield was 4.8 x 10(6)/kg (range 2.3-37.8). Five patients (7%) failed to mobilise PBSCs. The overall response rate to ICE was 89%, comprising 29% who achieved a CR and 60% who achieved a PR; for DLBCL, the overall response rate was 85% including 36% who achieved a CR and 49% who exhibited a PR. At a median follow-up of 24 months, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the overall and event-free survival for all patients were 65% and 42%, respectively. For patients with DLBCL overall and event-free survival figures were 51% and 35%, respectively, at a median follow-up of 14 months. These data confirm the efficacy and tolerability of outpatient fractionated ICE as both a salvage and mobilisation regimen in relapsed/refractory lymphoma.