Last year, a study suggested that Viagra may be associated with an increased risk of developing melanoma, and sounded alarm bells for users of the drug.
A new study published this week found that the drug may cause side effects, but skin cancer isn’t one of them.
A rigorous analysis of more than 20,000 medical records found that erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra are not a cause of melanoma, despite the higher risk for the disease among users of these drugs. Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center found that the likely source of the increase in malignant melanoma risk is socioeconomic and lifestyle based.
Melanoma is one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer. Melanoma only accounts for less than two percent of skin cancer cases each year, however, it makes up the majority of skin cancer fatalities. According to the American Cancer Society, about 9,940 people are expected to die of melanoma this year.
The results of the study show that groups of men who are more likely to get malignant melanoma include those with higher disposable incomes and education, men who can also afford more vacations in the sun and to buy erectile dysfunction medications.
Although there is a greater statistic risk of developing malignant melanoma among erectile dysfunction drug users, a closer look at the numbers uncovered no increased risk among those men with the most prescriptions.
Researchers assert that a “dose relationship, “the more drugs taken the higher the risk, would be expected if the drugs were a direct cause of the cancer.
While Viagra may not increase the risk of skin cancer, previous research has found that Viagra can be troublesome side effects which include headaches, nausea, stomach pain, loss of hearing and, in rare cases, color blindness.
However, even so, researchers believe that overall medications for erectile dysfunction are safe medications.