SOLUBLE TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR (STNF) RECEPTORS - A POSSIBLE PROGNOSTIC MARKER FOR BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION-RELATED COMPLICATIONS

Involvement of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in bone marrow transplantat ion (BMT)-associated complications has been documented. Biological res ponse to TNF requires interaction with specific cell membrane receptor s. Extracellular domains of these receptors are released into body flu ids as soluble molecules, and participate in the bioactivity of TNF. S erum levels of p55 and p75 soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (sT NFR) were determined in 34 patients with different diseases who underw ent BMT. Sequential studies initiated 10 days before BMT and continued up to 110 days post-transplantation showed that p55 and p75 sTNFR lev els were elevated significantly in patients who subsequently developed major transplant-related complications (TRC). Moreover, both sTNFR le vels were increased 2- to 3-fold over control values during post-BMT f ebrile periods in those patients who at a later stage suffered major T RC. These results indicate that the serum level of sTNFR may be used a s a prognostic marker for major TRC in BMT.