TNF and infection: The associations between inflammatory gene polymorphisms and the development of ATLL23 and HAM/TSP has been reported.24, 25, 26, 27 Interestingly, these polymorphisms were also associated with the development of not only several sites of cancer,28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 but also atherosclerosis-related diseases.34, 35, 36, 37 TNF-α, encoded by the TNF-α gene, is a cytokine responsible for resistance to infection and cancers and exerts major proinflammatory action by stimulating adhesion molecules and chemokine expression.48