Wednesday July 1, 2015 (foodconsumer.org) -- Use of Viagra or otherwise known as Sildenafil citrate may increase risk of melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests.

Viagra is one of commonly used medications indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.  Other phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5A inhibitors may also affect the risk.  Melanoma is diagnosed in 76,000 American men and women in 2012.

The study based on data from 25, 848 men enrolled in the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study showed a positive link between use of Viagra and elevated risk of melanoma.

Specifically, the study found men who had used sildenafil recently as surveyed at baseline were at 84% more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma, compared with men who did not use the drug. The association was derived after adjustment for other risk factors.

However, Viagra use did not seem to increase risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).  During the study with a 10-year follow-up, 142 melanoma, 580 SCC, and 3030 BCC cases were identified.

In the study, the risk of melanoma to be diagnosed in the next ten years was increased by 92% in men who EVER used Viagra and increased by 124% in men who used the drug AT BASELINE (at enrollment).

The study revealed an association between Viagra use and increased risk for melanoma, which does not mean to be a causal relation.  However, other studies suggest that Viagra affects a biological process such that not only erectile dysfunction is corrected, but also the risk of melanoma is increased.

Other medications in the same class of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5A inhibitors indicated to treat erectile dysfunction may also increase the risk of melanoma.

The study was conducted by Wen-Qing Li from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts and colleagues. (David Liu)

Wen-Qing Li, PhD; Abrar A. Qureshi, MD, MPH; Kathleen C. Robinson, PhD; Jiali Han, PhD, Sildenafil Use and Increased Risk of Incident Melanoma in US Men A Prospective Cohort Study,  JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(6):964-970.