# The characteristics of adverse reactions of three anti-prostate cancer drugs based on Vigiaccess database and bibliometric analysis

**Authors:** Jianqing Wang, Jia You, Weixing Huang, Chiting Yuan, Jiangjie Chen, Feifei Wang, Wei Wang, Liwei Zhang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1570661 · Frontiers in Pharmacology · 2025-03-27

## TL;DR

This study compares the side effects of three prostate cancer drugs using WHO data to help guide safer patient treatment.

## Contribution

The study provides a comparative analysis of adverse drug reactions for apalutamide, darolutamide, and enzalutamide using real-world data from VigiAccess.

## Key findings

- Apalutamide is most associated with endocrine disorders.
- Darolutamide has the highest rate of blood and lymphatic disorders.
- Enzalutamide is most linked to nervous system disorders.

## Abstract

Androgen antagonists, including apalutamide, darolutamide, and enzalutamide, play a crucial role in the treatment of prostate cancer. This research evaluated the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with the use of these androgen antagonists as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, it compared the adverse drug reaction (ADR) profiles of the three drugs to identify which one presents the lowest risk for individualized patient use.

This study employed a retrospective descriptive analysis design. We collected adverse event reports for three marketed androgen antagonists from WHO-VigiAccess and analyzed them in combination with a bibliometric analysis. We calculated the percentage of adverse reactions reported for each drug to compare the similarities and differences in adverse reactions among the three drugs.

A total of 172,020 adverse events (AEs) associated with three androgen antagonists were reported in VigiAccess at the time of this study. Our findings show apalutamide causes the most endocrine disorders. Darolutamide has the highest rate of blood and lymphatic disorders, while enzalutamide causes the most nervous system disorders. The ten most common ADRs identified were fatigue, rash, death, hot flush, diarrhoea, asthenia, nausea, dizziness, arthralgia, and decreased appetite.

This study utilizes real data from WHO-VigiAccess, which offers valuable insights for clinical reference. On one hand, we confirm both existing and potential adverse effects associated with androgen antagonists. On the other hand, We analyzed the possible future research directions, thereby supporting the case for more scientific treatment.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** apalutamide (PubChem CID 24872560), darolutamide (PubChem CID 67171867), enzalutamide (PubChem CID 15951529)
- **Diseases:** prostate cancer (MONDO:0005159)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** blood and lymphatic disorders (MESH:D006425), endocrine disorders (MESH:D004700), decreased appetite (MESH:D001068), nausea (MESH:D009325), dizziness (MESH:D004244), nervous system disorders (MESH:D009422), hot flush (MESH:D005483), fatigue (MESH:D005221), diarrhoea (MESH:D003967), prostate cancer (MESH:D011471), rash (MESH:D005076), arthralgia (MESH:D018771), death (MESH:D003643), asthenia (MESH:D001247)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11983432/full.md

## References

30 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11983432/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11983432