Q. A couple of years back, I read an article that claimed Viagra increased the risk of developing melanoma. I work outside and am very concerned about the risk of any skin cancer. Are those reports linking the use of Viagra to a higher risk of melanoma accurate?
A. A study released in 2014 reported an increased incidence of melanoma in men who had taken Viagra. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and needless to say, this report shook up many men who had been using the little blue pill. Urologist Stacy Loeb, M.D., of New York University’s Langone Medical Center, led a team of investigators who conducted a meta-analysis of data from studies purporting to show that Viagra users were more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma.
The review, published in the May 19, 2017, issue of the “Journal of the National Cancer Institute,” found that men who took Viagra were more likely to be cautious about their overall health and thus more likely to be screened regularly for skin cancers.
For this reason, the apparent link between Viagra use and the increased diagnosis of melanoma was determined to be not a case of cause-and-effect but rather a case of “diagnosis bias,” investigators concluded.