Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio might predict the response to dupilumab treatment for patients with nasal polyposis

Background Dupilumab is a monoclonal antibody against interleukin 4 receptor alpha and has proven to be clinically effective in treating patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). However, a certain number of patients are non- or partial responders. This study aims to investigate the relevance of inflammatory markers with regard to therapy response to dupilumab in CRSwNP patients. Methods All patients with CRSwNP treated with dupilumab at a tertiary healthcare center with available pretreatment inflammatory markers were included. The values of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were associated with the outcome. Patients were stratified according to the respective median value (> median was considered high). The binary logistic regression was performed with regard to total treatment response (post-treatment total nasal polyp score (NPS) 0). Results A total of 65 CRSwNP patients with available pretreatment peripheral blood values were included in the study. The mean pre- and post-treatment total NPS values were 4.3 ± 1.9 and 1.2 ± 1.6, respectively. High PLR (> 131.2) was independently associated with a 3.9-fold higher probability of reaching the NPS value of 0 in the multivariable analysis. On the other hand, High NLR (> 1.9) did not significantly associate with the outcome. Conclusions The current study provides insights into the potential positive predictive value of the high PLR (> 131.2) in CRSwNP patients regarding treatment with dupilumab. There is a need for further prospective studies for validation of these results, especially in cohorts of patients with severe CRSwNP.