Conflicting Viagra Study Results: Should Men Worry About Melanoma?

Dallas, TXAs more Viagra studies come out, more conflicting information is released about whether or not there is a link between Viagra and skin cancer. One study published in 2014 suggests a link between the two, while a more recent study finds no link. But at least one Viagra side effects lawsuit has been filed, alleging a patient developed melanoma after using Viagra.

In June 2014, a study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggesting that men who take silendafil (the generic form of Viagra) have an up to 84 percent increased risk of developing melanoma over the next 10 years than men who did not take the drug. When the study was released, however, researchers noted that more research was necessary to prove Viagra caused the melanoma.

That’s because the researchers couldn’t prove the drug caused the cancer, it could only suggest a link. Other factors - those that might make the men more likely to take Viagra in the first place - could also put the men at an increased risk of skin cancer. Because researchers couldn’t determine if the skin cancer was caused by Viagra or by those other factors, they did not make any recommendations on the drug’s use.

A new study, however, suggests the link between Viagra and melanoma is not a causal one. This study, also published in JAMA (6/23/15), found that men who used Viagra were more likely to develop malignant melanoma. But they discovered that it didn’t matter how high the dose or how long the exposure to Viagra, the risk was the same across Viagra users, indicating that there could be other factors causing the melanoma.

Researchers still can’t rule out that Viagra causes the melanoma, but it seems more likely that there are other reasons for the development of the disease.

Patients are left to decide whether taking Viagra is worth the risks. Viagra is not a life-saving medication - it is used to treat erectile dysfunction and patients can live without it. Meanwhile, at least one lawsuit alleges a patient died of melanoma after taking Viagra, and argues Pfizer didn’t properly warn about the risks associated with the drug. The lawsuit (case number 15-L-423) alleges wrongful conduct on Pfizer’s part.