Pfizer’s blockbuster drug Viagra (sildenafil) has been linked to an 84% increased risk of melanoma (skin cancer) in a recent study. This aggressive form of skin cancer can rapidly spread to other areas of the body and cause life-threatening complications.
UPDATE: Another Study Links Viagra and Skin Cancer
June 2016 — Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra have been linked to a 14% increased risk of melanoma (skin cancer) in a study published by PLoS Medicine, but researchers say it is likely due to sun exposure. Click here to read more.
Viagra Linked to 84% Increased Risk of Melanoma (Skin Cancer)
Viagra was linked to melanoma (skin cancer) in a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine in June 2014. Results of the study were based on a multivariate analysis of data from nearly 26,000 men in a study at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Data was analyzed between 2000 and 2010. During this time, there were over 3,500 cases of skin cancer, including 142 cases of melanoma, 580 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, and 3,030 cases of basal cell carcinoma.
Recent use of Viagra was associated with an 84% increased risk of melanoma. Men who had ever used Viagra were about twice as likely to be diagnosed with melanoma. Viagra was not linked to squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma. Erectile dysfunction was not associated with any type of skin cancer. Click here to read more.
Does Viagra Cause Melanoma?
The study does not prove that Viagra causes melanoma and more research is needed to investigate this risk. However, researchers suggested mechanisms by which Viagra could increase the invasiveness of malignant melanoma.
Although melanoma is a complex disease, most cases in humans occur on a pathway regulated by the BRAF protein. This protein inhibits PDE5A, and so does Viagra. Recent studies have shown that cancerous cells become more invasive and are more likely to metastasize when PDE5A levels are low.
What is Melanoma?
Melanoma is a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer that occurs in melanocytes (pigment cells). Every year, about 76,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma in the United States, and nearly 10,000 die from the disease.
The most serious complications occur when malignant cells travel from their original location and colonize tissues in other areas of the body, such as lymph nodes. When this occurs, tumors can grow in many areas of the body and the cancer becomes very difficult to cure.
Symptoms
Like most skin cancers, melanoma can be cured if it is diagnosed in the early stages. This is why it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of melanoma:
- Asymmetry: If you imagine folding the mole in half, the two sides do not match.
- Border: Edges of the mole are uneven, scalloped, ragged, or blurry
- Many colors: The mole may have areas of black, brown, pink, white, red, or other colors.
- Changes size: The mole may grow in size over a few weeks or months; most melanomas are larger than a pea.
- Texture: Advanced melanomas are sometimes bumpy, painful, itchy, or hard.
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