This retrospective study evaluates the impact of GM-CSF and interleukin 3 (IL-3) on bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) cell recovery following autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) with mafosfamide-purged BM in patients with lymphoid malignancies compared with a control group receiving no colony-stimulating factor. GM-CSF was administered at 250 micrograms/m2/day (8 patients) as a continuous infusion from day of autologous BMT until the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) reached 0.5 x 10(9)/l for 7 days or until day 30, whichever was first. IL-3 was administered daily starting on the first day of transplant at a dose of 1 microgram/kg/day (6 patients) and 5 micrograms/kg/day (6 patients) for 30 days. CFU-GM and BFU-E were sequentially evaluated in BM and PB at days 7, 14, 21, 28, and 56 post-graft. The neutrophil recovery (ANC > 0.5 x 10(9)/l) was significantly faster in the GM-CSF group compared with IL-3 5 micrograms, IL-3 1 microgram and control group (respectively, days 15, 21, 22, 24) (p < 0.05 to p < 0.01). Similarly, leukocyte recovery was faster in the GM-CSF group compared with control and IL-3 1 microgram groups (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05). No difference was noticed between the two IL-3 groups. Although no difference was observed in platelet recoveries (> 50 x 10(9)/l), it appeared that the GM-CSF group required more units of platelets than either the IL-3 1 microgram or 5 micrograms groups (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)