Summary. Autologous lymphocytes provide a potential vector for the delivery of a cytotoxic agent in patients with lymphoid cell malignancy. This report describes a phase I–II study using autologous lymphocytes to target the radionuclide indium‐114m (114mIn) in patients with refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia or small lymphocytic non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. Nineteen patients, the majority of whom had been heavily pretreated with conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, received between 69 and 211 MBq 114mIn‐labelled autologous lymphocytes. Approximately 80% of the administered activity was localized in the liver and spleen, with around 5% accumulating in the bone marrow. Ten patients (53%) responded (one complete response and nine partial responses). The median duration of response was 7 months. The median survival for the responders was 14 months and for the non‐responders was 3 months. The first notable response in every patient was a fall in peripheral lymphocyte count. The indium treatment was not associated with any subjective toxicity, although all patients suffered from myelosuppression, with thrombocytopenia being the dose‐limiting factor. This study has demonstrated a significant anti‐tumour effect in a group of patients with late‐stage highly resistant disease.