Viagra could be exposing patients to an unexpected risk of skin cancer. Researchers have found a possible link between Viagra and an increased risk in deadly melanoma.

Viagra, generically known as sildenafil, has been suspected of promoting melanoma. But until recently, there were no studies that made a definitive link between the two.

Breakthrough Viagra Discovery

Scientists from Germany’s University of Tubingen released findings that revealed Viagra’s alleged effects on pre-existing melanoma tumors in mice. Once the Viagra was introduced, the growth rate of the tumors appeared to increase quickly.

In the March 10, 2016 issue of the scientific journal Cell Reports, researchers said that a recent long-term study that included nearly 15,000 men in the United States indicated that men who used sildenafil for erectile dysfunction had a significantly elevated risk of melanoma.

Viagra has been used by more than 35 million men throughout the world who have turned to Pfizer’s little blue pill since 1998 to resolve erectile dysfunction.

One of the body’s cancer-fighting proteins is PDE5a, which certain drugs–including the class that includes Viagra–suppress. Viagra also allegedly increases the levels of cGMP molecules, which form the chemical roadmap that melanoma skin cancer uses to invade cells. A melanoma tumor that could have been contained prior to introducing Viagra could potentially grow more rapidly after taking it.

Previous Skin Cancer and Viagra Link

In 2014, the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine published a study from Harvard Medical School that indicated melanoma occurrences allegedly increased 84% in men who took Viagra compared to those who did not. That study was largely dismissed because Viagra proponents insisted the lifestyle of a professional, educated, upwardly mobile man who took Viagra simply placed him in the sun more often.

The new results from Germany combined with previous studies show a greater likelihood that a chemical and physical reaction could exist between the use of Viagra and the increased risk of melanoma.

Pfizer has already been hit with a multitude of lawsuits from men (and from widows) regarding Viagra and its possible melanoma connection.

Viagra Side Effects

Viagra side effects can include symptoms that need immediate medical attention to prevent permanent damage. According to Viagra’s website, these are the most serious:

• an erection lasting more than four hours
• sudden vision loss in one or both eyes
• sudden hearing loss or ringing in the ears

Mild Viagra side effects can include nausea, headache, back pain, blurred vision, dizziness or a rash.

No mention is made of the risk of melanoma while taking Viagra on Viagra’s own website.

If you or someone you know has taken, or is currently taking, Viagra or any other PDE5a inhibitor, and developed melanoma skin cancer, you could benefit from a consultation with a pharmaceutical products liability lawyer.