HLA matching: a comparison of conventional and molecular approaches

1. The UNOS national sharing program has produced a 5-fold increase in the number of compatible transplants since 1987. 2. Transplants with 0 broad HLA-antigen mismatches had 87% 1-year graft survival and an 18-year half-life, essentially the same result as with conventional matching. 3. Equally impressive results were obtained with public determinant matching: 1-year graft survival ranging from 84 to 88% and a half-life of 12-15 years. 4. Increasing the number of matched determinants improved the results but reduced the number of compatible recipients identified. 5. Less than 10% of the current transplants have 0 public determinants mismatched. This fraction could be increased to 66% with local sharing and to over 90% with national sharing. 6. The results for cadaver transplants would approach those of related kidneys if compatible grafts were transplanted at the 90% rate obtainable with molecular matching.