The influence of tumor necrosis factor microsatellite polymorphisms on patient survival following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

AIM To investigate the influence of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) microsatellite polymorphisms on patient survival following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS We analyzed TNFa, TNFb, and TNFd microsatellites among 100 patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling donor at the Internal Clinic of the University Hospital Center Zagreb in the period 2001-2009. The analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction amplification and electrophoresis on a polyacrylamide gel in an automated sequencer. RESULTS There was no significant difference in patient survival with respect to the allele length at a given microsatellite. However, a significantly lower survival rate was noticed among patients who were positive for TNFa8 allele (P<0.001) and a significantly higher survival rate among those who were positive for TNFa10 allele (P=0.0220). CONCLUSION These results for the first time suggest an influence of TNFa microsatellite on patient survival following HSCT and indicate a need for further studies of this microsatellite.