The effect of amifostine on the cytotoxicity of melphalan, BCNU, doxorubicin and etoposide in lymphoma cell lines; HTB-61 (Burkitt), HTB-142 (nonspesified neck lymphoma), HTB-146 (Hodgkin's) and HTB 176 (Sezarýs syndrome) and a normal human fibroblast cell line was studied in vitro. Amifostine decreased etoposide induced cell kill in the fibroblast cell line. Pretreatment with the same amifostine concentration did not decrease the cytotoxic effects of etoposide, doxorubicin, melphalan and carmustine in lymphoma cell lines. Moreover, it even enhanced the cell killing effects of chemotherapeutics in especially HTB61 cell line. Our results indicate that amifostine does not decrease cytotoxicity of the chemotherapeutics and favor the testing of this drug in accordance with lymphoma treatments in clinical trials.