A case of erythroderma caused by apalutamide

We report a case of erythroderma induced by apalutamide in a patient with prostate cancer. A 73-year-old man presented with pruritic erythema and scaling on the trunk and limbs for over two months. The patient was diagnosed with prostate cancer six months ago. After regularly taking apalutamide tabl...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: LIU Yan, LI Xiaohong, BAI Feiying, HE Yixuan
Format: Article
Language:zho
Published: editoiral office of Journal of Diagnosis and Therapy on Dermato-venereology 2025-07-01
Series:Pifu-xingbing zhenliaoxue zazhi
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Online Access:http://pfxbzlx.gdvdc.com/EN/10.3969/j.issn.1674-8468.2025.07.011
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Summary:We report a case of erythroderma induced by apalutamide in a patient with prostate cancer. A 73-year-old man presented with pruritic erythema and scaling on the trunk and limbs for over two months. The patient was diagnosed with prostate cancer six months ago. After regularly taking apalutamide tablets, traditional Chinese medicine, and other medications for two months, he developed red rashes accompanied by itching, which later merged into red plaques, with the lower limbs being most affected. Dermatological examination revealed diffuse erythema and scaling on the trunk and limbs, covering more than 90% of the body surface area. Laboratory tests indicated an elevated absolute eosinophil count. During the first hospitalization, apalutamide was not discontinued, but traditional Chinese medicine was stopped. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and antihistamines, leading to improvement. However, the skin lesions worsened after tapering the corticosteroids. During the second hospitalization, histopathological examination showed liquefaction degeneration of basal cells and dermal lymphocytic infiltration with a small number of eosinophils. The patient′s erythroderma was considered to be induced by apalutamide. Apalutamide was discontinued and corticosteroid therapy was continued, resulting in sustained improvement of the skin lesions. The patient is still under follow-up.
ISSN:1674-8468