Cyclophosphamide, carmustine (BCNU), and etoposide (VP-16) (CBV) is a widely used conditioning regimen in autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) of patients with refractory and relapsed lymphoma. However, the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of these agents when used in combination has not been systematically explored. We treated 58 patients (28 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], 30 with Hodgkin's disease [HD]) at seven dose levels of CBV. Doses were cyclophosphamide 4,500 to 7,200 mg/m2, BCNU 450 to 600 g/m2, and VP-16 1,200 to 2,000 mg/m2. The MTD was cyclophosphamide 7,200 mg/m2, BCNU 450 mg/m2, and VP-16 2,000 mg/m2. Six hundred milligrams per square meter of BCNU was associated with five of 18 cases of interstitial pneumonitis versus two of 40 at 450 mg/m2 (P = .02). Treatment-related mortality was 5% at dose levels less than or equal to the MTD and 22% at the highest dose. In this heavily pretreated patient population, most of whom had high volume residual disease, complete responses (CRs) to CBV and ABMT occurred in 25% of assessable patients with NHL and 43% of patients with HD. Thirteen of 28 patients with NHL and 14 of 30 with HD remain free from disease progression with median follow-up of 212 and 215 days, respectively. CBV can be administered with acceptable toxicity over a wide range of doses to patients with refractory and relapsed lymphoma.