Dermatological Adverse Events in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with the Androgen Receptor Inhibitor Apalutamide: a Mono-centric Retrospective Study

Abstract Background Apalutamide, an androgen receptor inhibitor showed a good efficacy on prostate cancer (PCa). But its dermatological adverse events (dAEs) are common and threatening while relevant studies in China are limited. Methods This was a retrospective, single-center analysis. We included PCa patients who were hospitalized and received apalutamide treatment at one comprehensive hospital in eastern China from August 2020 to March 2023. These patients were categorized into two groups for comparative analysis: those with (dAEs⁺) and without dAEs (dAEs⁻) based on the presence or absence of rash or itching following apalutamide administration. Demographics, PCa clinical and treatment data were extracted from the EMRS. The clinical features of dAEs were collected through follow-up calls. Results Our study enrolled 90 individuals with an overall dAEs incidence of 50.0%. All dAEs occurred within one year following apalutamide use. Over half of dAEs⁺ patients suffered from pruritus, erythema or papules, and the dAEs were predominantly mild to moderate. Higher PSA levels were found in patients with dAEs. Conclusions Apalutamide-associated dAEs were common in the Chinese population, among which the majority were mild to moderate, with pruritus, erythema, and papules ranking as the most prevalent symptoms. Elevated PSA levels were documented in patients with dAEs.