EUFOREA Expert Consensus Defines Disease States and Treatment Goals in CRSwNP
Rhinologist and researcher Amber Luong, MD, PhD, was one of two U.S.-based physicians invited to attend the meeting of the European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases (EUFOREA), held in Brussels in summer 2023. Recently, she was interviewed by award-winning British TV presenter Dr. David Bull about the organization’s expert consensus on disease states and therapeutic goals in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).
“Severe rhinosinusitis is a debilitating disease with a significant impact on patient quality of life. Through research, treatments have evolved from steroids and surgery to biologics that target the molecules that drive CRS,” says Dr. Luong, who is professor and vice chair for academic affairs in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “As our therapeutic options evolved, we recognized a need to ensure cooperation across all the specialties that treat chronic rhinosinusitis to improve patient care.”
To evaluate current treatment strategies, EUFOREA brought together an international multidisciplinary group of specialists, including otorhinolaryngologists, pulmonologists, allergists, and immunologists who share an interest in these diseases. “We discussed our new understanding of the relationship between the upper airway and lower airway and the strong overlap in the immunophysiology of CRSwNP, asthma, and other type 2 immune responses,” Dr. Luong says. “With the advent of biologics, our treatment goals have gone beyond controlling these diseases to aspiring to remission, which we defined as control for 12 months or longer. For the patient, this means no nasal congestion, runny nose, or loss of sense of smell. From the physician perspective, it means an endoscopic examination that shows no strong signs of inflammation or mucus. Shared definitions facilitate communication between specialists and allow us to involve the patient effectively in the treatment process. If we can push remission out to five years, we’re approaching the concept of cure, which is always our aspiration.”
Dr. Luong admits that physicians know very little about the natural history of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps over a patient’s lifetime. “We need longer-term studies to add to our knowledge,” she says. “We know that our treatment options will continue to improve, and agreeing on definitions will help physicians collaborate more effectively. That’s where the future lies.”
Founded in 2015 and based in Belgium, EUFOREA is an international nonprofit alliance of stakeholders from national and international organizations, institutions, and agencies working to reduce the societal burden of allergies and airway diseases through education, research, and advocacy that leads to optimal care.