Clinical effectiveness of dupilumab in CRSwNP: unaffected by baseline nasal polyp size in real-world settings

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to investigate the impact of baseline nasal polyp score (NPS) on the effectiveness of dupilumab treatment in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Methods In this retrospective observational study, 80 CRSwNP patients treated with dupilumab 300 mg biweekly at a tertiary referral center were stratified according to the baseline NPS into two groups: low-NPS (< 5) and high-NPS (≥ 5). Treatment outcomes were evaluated at the 6-month follow-up visit and compared. Results Both groups showed significant clinical improvements. The NPS decreased significantly in both low- and high-NPS groups, from a mean score of 3.2 to 0.8 and from 6.1 to 1.4, respectively ( p < 0.001 for both). SNOT-22 scores improved significantly in both groups ( p < 0.001 for both), though the reduction was greater in the high-NPS group (35.5 vs. 23.9, p = 0.018). There were no significant differences between low- and high NPS groups in proportions of NPS reduction of ≥ 1 (89% vs. 95%, p = 0.396) and clinically significant SNOT-22 improvement (= reduction > 12 or follow-up SNOT < 40; 80% vs. 86%, p = 0.544). Conclusions Our results suggests that dupilumab is effective in CRSwNP treatment, regardless of baseline nasal polyp size. Both small and large polyp groups showed significant improvements in NPS and patient-reported outcome measures. Future, prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings.