A recent scientific study indicates that men who take Viagra may have an almost 84 percent higher chance of developing melanoma, the most aggressive skin cancer.

This Viagra melanoma study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, with researchers analyzing the data of over 25,000 different men with various control factors, such as sun exposure and family medical history.

Dr. Abrar Qureshi is the co-author of the study and Chair of the Department of Dermatology at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School.

He theorized the risk of melanoma is much greater in Viagra patients because of its biological effects on the body’s genetic pathways — this allows the cancer to spread aggressively. This research was conducted by Qureshi and other scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health, and had collected data between 2000 and 2010. During this period of time, over 3,500 cases of Viagra skin cancer had been reported, with 142 of them being melanoma, 580 were squamous cell carcinoma, and 3,030 were basal cell carcinoma.

The medication analyzed is the brand name Viagra, manufactured by Pfizer Inc. It is often prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension.

Qureshi and his team studied the occurrence rate that melanoma appeared in Viagra patients, while analyzing the environment that the patients were in, along with the drug’s biological mechanism inside the patients. The results indicated that patients were more than twice as likely to develop the deadly skin cancer while taking Viagra, regardless of the environment.

Qureshi and his fellow researchers remind the public that their study does not conclusively prove that Viagra causes melanoma, and that additional research needs to be done.

Furthermore, erectile function or dysfunction is not associated with the melanoma Viagra risk on its own, and that it is too early to suggest that men stop taking Viagra for this condition. However, Quershi recommends that Viagra patients undergo regular health checkups, to insure that no ill complications are developing.

Further Studies of the Viagra-Melanoma Association

Other studies have found that just by taking a single dose, Viagra can double the risk of developing melanoma. Additionally, scientists have found that Viagra is not associated with less aggressive types of skin cancers, such as squamous or basal cell carcinoma.

While the link between Viagra and skin cancer continues to be under investigation, healthcare professionals recommend that men who are taking Viagra regularly undergo doctor’s appointments.

Ever since its release in the United States in 1998, over 25 million men have taken Viagra for its medically approved purposes. It is currently unknown just how many men may have developed melanoma as a result.

Due to the recent concerns of this association, Viagra patients who developed melanoma have started Viagra lawsuits against Pfizer. Most of the plaintiffs allege that they had not been given full disclosure of the Viagra side effects, and that they never would have taken Viagra if they had known.