Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can be particularly deadly. While many questions about the causes of skin cancer remain, there are several known potential causes of melanoma.

Cancer is a situation wherein cells within the body lose the ability to regulate their reproduction. This causes cancer cells to reproduce uncontrollably and invade neighboring tissues. The cancer cells can damage these tissues by physically interfering with them or out-competing with them for resources within the body.

Cancer cells start out as normal human cells, but several different factors can turn them into deadly cancer cells. Cancers are usually named based on where in the body they originated. For example, skin cancers start their lives as human skin cells until they are exposed to various causes of skin cancer.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer in which skin cells become cancerous. Like all cancers, melanoma starts when the mechanisms that regulate cell growth misfire. DNA is a major control mechanism for all cells, and DNA damage is a potential cause of most kinds of cancer, including melanoma.

Skin cancer in general, and melanoma in particular, may be linked to ultraviolet radiation. UV radiation is a type of radiation just outside the human visible range. It is produced by the sun and certain types of artificial lighting.

Because of this, exposure to the sun (particularly bad sunburns) and tanning beds are major potential melanoma causes. Additionally, genetics and light skin color can also predispose some individuals to melanoma.

A melanoma study has added to suspicions that certain drugs can increase the risk of melanoma. The research article entitled “Sildenafil Use and Increased Risk of Incident Melanoma in US Men: A Prospective Cohort Study” was published in JAMA Internal Medicine in June 2014.

In this study, researchers found that men taking Viagra had an increased risk of developing melanoma. Researchers performed statistical analysis on other potential risk factors to get a better picture of what was happening and made several important discoveries.

First, patients with erectile dysfunction who did not take Viagra did not have the same risk of melanoma seen in patients taking Viagra. Additionally, Viagra was not linked to other types of skin cancer, a specificity that gives credence to the idea that Viagra may be among potential melanoma causes. This could support allegations made in Viagra melanoma lawsuits.

The researchers who performed this Viagra melanoma study stated that in vitro research into sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, supported their findings. In a test tube, sildenafil interferes with some of the processes the human body uses to detect and destroy cancer cells.

In many situations, the immune system can destroy cancer cells before they cause noticeable harm. The only cancer that concerns patients is cancer that manages to evade these mechanisms. However, sildenafil may interfere with these processes, making a patient more likely to develop melanoma.