Sildenafil Use Is Associated with Elevated Risk for Melanoma

Phosphodiesterase 5A inhibition by sildenafil mimics downstream effects of genetic mutations that increase risk for invasive melanoma. To explore this potential risk of sildenafil use, investigators analyzed data from about 26,000 men (mean age, 65) who were participating in a long-term men's health study; about 6% of participants reported past or recent sildenafil use at baseline. Men who reported prior cancers of any type were excluded.

During 10 years of observation, 142 incident cases of melanoma were documented, as were 580 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 3030 cases of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). In analyses that controlled for multiple risk factors for melanoma (e.g., number of severe sunburns, family history of melanoma, sm…