New Study Suggests Potential Link between Viagra and Deadly Skin Cancer

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Ashley Brittain Landers of Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, LLP

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) May 24, 2014

A recent article published by JAMA Internal Medicine in April 2014 evaluated the association between sildenafil use and the risk of incident melanoma among men in the United States. The study concluded that “[s]ildenafil use may be associated with an increased risk of developing melanoma.” In particular, the researchers found that men who took sildenafil were about 84% more likely to develop melanoma in comparison to men who did not take the drug.

The active ingredient in Viagra is sildenafil. Viagra, manufactured by Pfizer, was the first oral medication approved by the FDA to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). Viagra was approved by the FDA and has been on the market in the United States since 1998. According to the official Viagra website, Viagra has been prescribed for over 22 million men.

Dr. Abrar Qureshi, professor and chair of the dermatology department in the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University and co-author of the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, told NBC News in an April 2014 report that, “Viagra may increase the risk of melanoma because it affects the same genetic pathway that allows the skin cancer to become more invasive.”

However, because the study was a retrospective, observational study, the authors cautioned that their findings, “should be interpreted cautiously and are insufficient to alter current clinical recommendations.” Dr. June Robinson agreed with the study authors in an accompanying editorial published in JAMA Internal Medicine in April 2014, providing that a prospective study will be required before clinical recommendations should be changed. In an article released in April, Forbes reported that although this, “new study provides early evidence showing an association between sildenafil and melanoma, though, like all observational studies, it is unable to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship.”

NBC News reported in April 2014 that melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and about 76,100 new melanoma cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2014. About 9,710 people will die as a result, including approximately 6,470 men.

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