Comparison of abiraterone, enzalutamide, and apalutamide for metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer: A multicenter study

Abstract Purpose We aimed to assess the differential efficacy and safety of androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI), such as abiraterone, enzalutamide, and apalutamide, in patients with metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) in a real‐world practice setting. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of consequent 668 patients with mHSPC treated with ARPI plus androgen deprivation therapy between September 2015 and December 2023. Based on the LATITUDE criteria, the comparison among abiraterone, enzalutamide, and apalutamide was exclusively conducted in high‐risk patients. Prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) responses such as the achievement of 95% and 99% PSA decline, overall survival (OS), cancer‐specific survival (CSS), time to castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and the incidence of adverse events (AEs) were compared. All two‐group comparisons relied on propensity score matching (PSM) to minimize the effect on possible confounders. Results In total, 297 patients with high‐risk mHSPC treated with abiraterone, 127 with enzalutamide, and 142 with apalutamide were compared. There were no differences in time to CRPC ( p = 0.13), OS ( p = 0.7), and CSS ( p = 0.5) among the three ARPIs. No differences were observed in the achievement rates for 95% PSA decline at 3 months among the three ARPIs, while abiraterone was significantly better in 99% PSA decline achievement compared to apalutamide (72% vs. 57%, p = 0.003). The aforementioned oncologic outcomes were sustained even when performing PSM analyzes. Although skin rash for APA (34%) was the highest incidence of AEs, there were no differences in the rates of severe AEs across the three ARPIs. Enzalutamide resulted in the lowest treatment discontinuation rates (10%) other than disease progression compared to the other regimens. Conclusions Abiraterone, enzalutamide, and apalutamide have comparable oncologic outcomes in terms of OS, CSS, and time to CRPC in patients with high‐risk mHSPC. Our data on differential treatment discontinuation rates, PSA response, and AE profiles can help guide clinical decision‐making.