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High-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is the standard treatment of patients with multiple myeloma today. In this study we used a combination mobilizing chemotherapy containing ifosfamide with G-CSF before stem cell collection. The chemotherapy regimen consisted of ifosfamide (2,500 mg/m(2) days 1-3), epirubicin (100 mg/m(2) day 1) and etoposide (150 mg/m(2) days 1-3) followed by G-CSF (5 mug/kg from day 5). In 30 younger patients (median age 51 years; range 41-60 years) who received the IEV regimen in 100% dosage, a median of 11.15 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg (range 0-44.60 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg) was collected. In 22 elder patients (median age 64 years; range 59-72 years) similar collection results were obtained with a median of 10.82 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg (range 0.99-42.22 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg) after the IEV regimen in 75% dosage. The pretreatment chemotherapy cycles before mobilization were fewer in elder patients with a median of 0 cycles (range 0-7 cycles) compared with younger patients with a median of 4 cycles (range 0-7 cycles). These collection results were favorable and allowed to support a tandem transplantation procedure in younger and elder patients in 97 and 95%, respectively. In the majority of patients, the hematological toxicity of IEV was of WHO grade 3/4. The extramedullary toxicity was mild to moderate and there were only few cases (5-10%) of relevant nephrotoxicity or neurotoxicity associated with the application of ifosfamide., (Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel)