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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1530919
This article is part of the Research Topic Cancer Therapy Related Organ Toxicities View all articles

Dermatological Adverse Events in Chinese Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with the Androgen Receptor Inhibitor Apalutamide

Provisionally accepted
Qi Wang Qi Wang 1,2Zhao-Ting Ren Zhao-Ting Ren 3Hui-Feng Wu Hui-Feng Wu 4Hao-Chen Gu Hao-Chen Gu 3Xiawei Li Xiawei Li 5Zhuangli Tang Zhuangli Tang 1*
  • 1 Department of Dermatology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Department of Dermatology, Changxing People’s Hospital, Huzhou, China, Huzhou, China
  • 3 Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 4 Department of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 5 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China, Hangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Apalutamide, an androgen receptor inhibitor, has shown good efficacy in treating prostate cancer (PCa). However, dermatological adverse events (dAEs) are common and threatening, and 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 are common in the Chinese population, among which the majority are mild to moderate, with pruritus, erythema, and papules ranking as the most prevalent symptoms. Elevated PSA levels were documented in patients with dAEs.

    Keywords: dAEs, dermatological adverse events, PSA, prostate-specific antigen, prostate cancer, Apalutamide, Chinese population

    Received: 19 Nov 2024; Accepted: 04 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Ren, Wu, Gu, Li and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhuangli Tang, Department of Dermatology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.