The sexual enhancement drug Viagra has been linked to an increased risk of Melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, by a recent study published in a prominent medical journal.

A study published in April in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that men who use Viagra to treat impotence had an increased risk of melanoma.

To find out whether there was a connection between using Viagra and developing melanoma in men in the United States, researchers collected and analyzed melanoma and Viagra data from the Health Professional’s Follow-up Study. Participants in the study were asked whether they use Viagra to treat impotence and whether they had any cancers.

Participants who had cancer were removed from the research, which left 25,848 men with an average age of 65. The follow up was conducted during a 10-year period between 2000 and 2010, and during that time, researchers discovered that the use of Viagra “was significantly associated with an increased risk of subsequent melanoma.”

While the study cannot prove cause and effect, the results of the Viagra melanoma study showed that men who used Viagra had an 84 percent increased risk for developing melanoma even after adjusting for known risk factors. Researchers suggest that Viagra use may affect the same genetic mechanism that allows skin cancer to become more aggressive in the body.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 1998, Viagra (sildenafil citrate) is a prescription drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

It acts by inhibiting cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), an enzyme that promotes degradation of cGMP, which regulates blood flow in the penis.

Viagra is manufactured by Pfizer Inc., a multinational pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in New York City and one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

Warning Signs for Melanoma

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the deadliest form of the disease. Melanoma is extremely difficult to stop once it starts to spread to other areas of the body.

Melanoma occurs when skin cells multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. Melanomas often resemble moles, and some develop from moles. Melanoma moles are usually black or brown, but can also be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white.

The most important warning sign for melanoma is a new spot on the skin or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color. Another important sign is a spot that looks different from all of the other spots on your skin, known as the ugly duckling sign. If you have any of these warning signs, have your skin checked by a doctor.

The most common early visible signs of melanoma are:

• A growing mole on your skin.
• Unusual looking mole on your skin or a mole that does not look like any other mole on your skin (the ugly duckling).
• Non-uniform mole (has an odd shape, uneven or uncertain border, different colors).

Viagra Melanoma Lawsuits

In 2012, Viagra provided a windfall for Pfizer with $2 billion in sales. Now Pfizer may be exposed to Viagra lawsuits alleging that the company failed to warn consumers about the potential risk of melanoma from Viagra.

Recently-filed Viagra lawsuits all have similar allegations that if information and warnings had been provided to consumers and doctors, patients may have avoided a diagnosis of melanoma by taking Viagra or doctors may have been able to diagnose the melanoma skin cancer earlier if warnings had been provided about the importance of monitoring for signs or symptoms of melanoma.