Viagra may increase melanoma risk says study

By Caribbean Medical News Staff

The blue pill, popular among those suffering with erectile dysfunction may increase the risk for melanoma by as much as 84% according to a new study.

The study, which was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine, determined that sildenafil (Viagra) increased this risk particularly when they studied the men’s history of exposure to the sun and genetic cancer risk. The researchers also studied hair, eye colour and the history of moles in the 2 000 men studied.

The researchers examined the various types of skin cancer based on a questionnaire that covered a ten-year span. They found that there were 142 incidences of melanoma, 580 of squamous cell carcinoma and 3,030 of basal cell carcinoma.

Men who used Viagra were determined to have twice the risk for developing melanoma but erectile dysfunction did not increase the risk for melanoma. Researchers also did not find a link between Viagra and other drug in the study.

They found men who used Viagra were at nearly twice the risk for developing melanoma. However, there did not appear to be any link between the drug and risk for other types of skin cancers, the study reported. Despite their findings, the researchers said that more research had to be done to understand the cause and effect since they could not prove causation as it relates to Viagra and melanoma.

The study involved nearly 26,000 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study at the Harvard School of Public Health.

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