Background and purpose: The patients with aggressive lymphoma who have a poor prognosis and unlikely to be cured with conventional chemotherapy. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of high-dose etoposide in mobilization followed auto-SCT in treating refractory lymphoma. Methods: 40 patients [median age 33 (13-61) years] with refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL

n=32) or Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HD

n=8) received high-dose etoposide [VP16 10-15 mg/(kg·d)×2 d] in mobilization in our center. Remission status prior to mobilization was PD (n=40). The use of such granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G-CSF

5-10 μg/(kg·d)] mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) after high-dose etoposide until the end of leukapheresis. Peripheral blood stem cell was collected and frozen in -80℃ refrigerator. All these patients received auto peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT). Conditioning regimen was BEAM (n=19

47.5%) or CBV (n=21

52.5%). Results: Twenty-eight patients (70%) were assessable for response after high-dose etoposide at a median pretreatment time of 39 days (range 17-172 days)

12 patients (30%) had no response. Median follow-up of 28 (4-66) months

16 patients (40%) reached CR after auto-PBSCT. Fifteen of the 28 patients (53.6%) who had response to high-dose etoposide reached CR

4 patients (14.3%) reached PR

9 patients (32.1%) succumb to progression of disease. One of the 12 patients (8.3%) who had no response to high-dose etoposide reached CR

1 patients (8.3%) reached PR

10 patients (83.4%) succumb to progression of disease. The estimated 1-year OS and EFS were 69% and 56.7% respectively

2-years OS and EFS were 63% and 52% respectively. The prognosis of the patients who had no response to etoposide was poor. The estimated 1-year OS and EFS were 25% and 16.7% respectively. Two group of comparison differences have statistics significance (P0.01). Conclusion: High-dose etoposide could be used in refractory lymphoma as rescue therapy in mobilization. It can increase the EFS and OS of patients who had response. The hematopoietic stem cells collection and hematopoietic reconstitution are not affected by etoposide.