A new study has linked the use of erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra with higher risks of prostate cancer recurrence after prostatectomy. The report comes on the heels of other studies that claim Viagra side effects may now include melanoma skin cancer.

Men who used Viagra, a drug belonging to a class known as phosphodiesterase-5 (PDG5A) inhibitors, after radical prostatectomy had a significantly greater risk of recurrence of prostate cancer compared with nonusers, German investigators reported.

There are many other drugs in this class of erectile enhancing drugs, including Cialis and Levitra.

During a median post-prostatectomy follow-up of 5 years, the relapse-free survival rate was 84.7% in PDE5 users and 89.2% in nonusers.

Viagra Prostate Cancer Study: Results

The Viagra side effects study is the first of its kind. No other research has looked at the use of these erectile enhancing drugs after prostate cancer surgery and their impact on biochemical recurrence. Despite these findings, researchers cautioned in their medical journal article that the association between Viagra / Cialis / Levitra and prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy needs to be studied further.

The February 2015 edition of The Journal of Urology includes this article, “Use of Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors May Adversely Impact Biochemical Recurrence after Radical Prostatectomy”, which was published online back in September 2014.

This Viagra side effects study contradicts previous research studies that drugs such as Viagra actually suppress cancer growth. Following radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer, a substantial proportion of men who were sexually potent prior to surgery have erectile dysfunction that ranges from transient to permanent. Multiple studies of PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil (Viagra) have shown that postoperative use leads to higher rates of potency preservation.

The Viagra side effects study, conducted by German researchers, examined the relationship of PDE5 use and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. The study retrospectively reviewed records of 4,752 consecutive patients who had a median age of 64 and who underwent bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy at the Hamburg center from January 2000 through December 2010.

Results showed that 86.2% of the study population had prostate cancer. A fourth of the patients studied reportedly used PDE5 inhibitors after radical prostatectomy, suggesting that prostate cancer recurrence may be a possible Viagra side effect.

The analysis further showed that PDE5 use increased the hazard for biochemical prostate cancer recurrence by almost 40%. The analysis showed no association between biochemical recurrence and age, body mass index, or smoking.

Viagra and Cancer Risks

Findings about increased cancer risks being associated with the use of erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are not new, as those relatively popular drugs and others had been associated with melanoma skin cancer.

Researchers suggest that Viagra’s active ingredient, sildenafil citrate, appears to lower levels of a cancer-fighting protein called PDE5A, which could potentially increase the invasiveness of melanoma skin cancer cells.

Since the release of the findings and other consumer reports, hundreds of men who have taken the erectile dysfunction drug may file Viagra skin cancer lawsuits or join Viagra melanoma class action lawsuits against erectile dysfunction drug treatment manufacturers.