Busulfan kinetics were studied in patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia after oral doses of 2, 4, and 6 mg. The plasma concentration-time data could be fitted to a zero-order absorption one-compartment open model. The elimination rate constant averaged 0.27 +/- 0.05 hr-1 (SD). The plasma AUC was linearly related to the dose. The lag time for the start of absorption, the time absorption ends, and the absorption rate constant showed some interindividual variations. About 1% of busulfan is excreted unchanged in urine over 24 hr.