In March 2000, a 30-year-old Chinese male was initially diagnosed as having non-Hodgkin's lymphoma because of right cervical lymphadenopathy. He had received 8 cycles of chemotherapy including doxorubicin in China. As of February 2001, he was treated in our hospital with the CEPP regimen including etoposide, and was admitted in June 2001 because of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Peripheral blood showed hemoglobin 12.7 g/dl, platelets 4.1 x 10(4)/microliter and white blood cells 2300/microliter with 15% blasts. Bone marrow was hypocellular with 48% blasts, which were positive for myeloperoxidase, CD13 and CD33. Chromosome analysis showed 46,XY, t(9;11) (p21;q23) in all 20 metaphase spreads. He was diagnosed as having therapy-related acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). Because of hypoplastic bone marrow, induction therapy with the CAG regimen including cytarabine, aclarubicin and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was started, but no apparent effect was observed. The patient was then treated with the AVG regimen comprising 250 micrograms of G-CSF and continuous infusion with 20 mg of cytarabine and 50 mg of etoposide for 14 days. Complete hematological and cytogenetic remission was achieved after two courses of the AVG regimen. Although it has been shown that the CAG regimen is effective for refractory and/or secondary AML, our results indicate that the AVG regimen should be tried for cases of AML resistant to the CAG regimen.