The mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells was studied in 984 multiple myeloma patients, including 106 patients aged >/= 70 years. Increasing age correlated inversely with CD34+ yield (P < 0.0001), but also with >/= 12 months of prior standard chemotherapy (P = 0.0001), < 200 x 10(9)/l platelets (P = 0.0006) premobilization and mobilization with growth factors only (P = 0.0001). After controlling for these age covariates, multivariate analysis identified </= 12 months standard therapy and platelet count >/= 200 x 10(9)/l premobilization as favourable variables (both P < 0.0001), while increasing patient age remained an unfavourable factor (P = 0.0009). With both favourable variables, 85% of elderly patients collected >/= 4 x 10(6)/kg CD34+ cells in a median of one collection. The effect of age was incremental with no age threshold showing acceleration in the decline of CD34+ yield. Chemotherapy significantly increased CD34+ yield compared with growth factors only. However, the subgroup of patients with > 12 months prior therapy and premobilization platelet count < 200 x 10(9)/l mobilized as many CD34+ cells with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) alone as with chemotherapy and haematopoietic growth factors. Increasing patient age had no effect on post-transplant neutrophil recovery, but significantly delayed platelet recovery (>/= 50 x 10(9)/l) if < 2 x 10(6)/kg CD34+ cells were infused, but this effect was eliminated completely with infusion of >/= 4 x 10(6)/kg CD34+ cells. Increasing age adversely affected CD34+ yield even with limited premobilization therapy, indicating that early collection is important in elderly patients.