Connection between Viagra and Skin Cancer: How Real Is It?

Medications that are widely used for impotence treatment may lead to different additional disorders, if taken regularly. It is said that skin cancer may become a major adverse reaction provoked by Sildenafil Citrate (Viagra). The latest studies, however, are contradicting.

What Is Skin Cancer?

The condition is also called melanoma. It belongs to one of three skin cancer kinds that are called the most dangerous. The other two kinds are squamous cells skin cancer and basal skin cancer. They are more responsive to different treatments as well as less invasive.

Cases of melanoma skin cancer occur in 76.000 of people yearly, making 10.000 of them die yearly. The condition starts as minor itching that soon becomes pretty painful to the touch.  The growing lesions get very thick and turn into black or dark brown moles.

Males usually have such moles on their back and chest, women – on legs, face and neck. The early stages are curable only before they start spreading to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, the condition often remains unnoticed until it develops into an advanced stage. When the condition affects males, they never blame PDE-5 inhibitors. But should they?

Publicized Studies

The study shows that Viagra causes the significantly increased risks of melanoma development, but it doesn’t lead to any other cancer types. There was a medical research that compared 4.065 males with melanoma to those, who were cancer-free.

All males, who administered prescribed PDE5 inhibitors, were around 21% more likely to develop skin cancer. A major increase of risks was typical to those, who filled one prescription only, and not in users, who took two or even more prescriptions. This is why the results raised more questions than provided answered.

Researchers believe that Viagra and Cialis increase the risks of the invasiveness of melanoma. Their core ingredients normally block the PDE5 activity so that it can become less active in people with gene mutation. When the activity is reduced, melanoma cells become very aggressive and start spreading.

Should the Viagra-Skin Cancer Relation Worry You?

How can you be sure about the dangers of Viagra, if researchers are still not sure even after multiple studies conducted? When it comes to any types of studies in different countries and laboratories, all they give are calls for further researches and some questionable links. The greatest part of the found links is later called to be faulty and unreliable. This is why, if you are administering Viagra or Cialis at the moment, don’t make the questionable study’s results reasons to get worried about.

There was a 2011-study that suggested that Sildenafil Citrate can actually help the immune system of the male’s body to fight certain types of skin cancer as well as give the tips for new cancer treatment options (Everything you possibly need to know about the Sildenafil Citrate https://www.canadianhealthmall.com/sildenafil-citrate) .

This all means that Viagra, along with other PDE5 inhibitors, is not a proven cause of erectile dysfunction. What causes are proven then? Scientists agree that the main proven cause is sun exposure. It is better to avoid excessive sun exposure, if you want to escape skin cancer development. It is highly recommended to people with blue eyes and fair coloring. We suggest avoiding the midday sun or getting sunburned. Always use UV protection, when you’re out in the sun.

How to Treat a Cancerous Melanoma?

In case you have moles, you should better pay much attention to the slightest changes that may occur. When should you have a professional consultation? It is a must in case you notice:

• Changes in the color and sizes;
• Moles get itchy and start bleeding;
• Moles are larger than 4 mm;
• The edges are irregular;
• The coloring of the mole gets varied.

The choice of treatment depends on too many factors. Self-treatment is never a wise choice, when it comes to any kind of cancer, especially skin cancer. In most cases you will be suggested one of the following treatment options:

1. Outpatient surgery

This treatment approach is perfect for patients with small and moderate melanomas. The procedure is typically performed as an outpatient procedure or at the doctor’s office. After it a patient is suggested to avoid any serious physical activity and exercising as the stitches will remain for up to weeks. The remaining scars are pretty small and have a tendency to improve over time.

The skin area is usually depressed or raised after the procedure. But it is easy to conceal it with a makeup. In case the melanoma is pretty large, a more invasive procedure is required.

2. Margin Guidelines

There is a quite modern approach to the surgery in case of skin cancer. Less of patient’s normal skin around the tumor is taken out. When a doctor performs the procedure, the following guidelines are followed:

• Tumor size 2.01mm: 2 cm is removed;
• Tumor size 1.01-2 mm: 1-2 cm is removed;
• In situ melanoma: 0.5-1.0 cm is removed;
• Melanoma size 1 mm and less: 1 cm is removed.

The margins get narrower than before. It allows sparing healthy tissues as well as eliminating reconstructive surgery needs.

3. Micrographic Surgery

It is called to be an alternative to the use of traditional removing surgeries. During the procedure one tissue layer is taken out at a time. When each layer is removed, the margins are examined under a microscope. It’s done to detect the presence of cancerous cells, if any. When the margins are not-cancerous, no surgeries are needed.

This type of analysis eliminates the necessity to estimate how deep and far the melanoma reaches. A surgeon extracts all the cancerous cells instead. Yet still patients choose this way in rare cases as they are afraid that some cells may be omitted.

We don’t impose on any specific type of melanoma removal. If skin cancer is provoked by PDE-5 inhibitors, it’s better to have professional consultations first. Maybe some alternative treatment options may be more suitable.

Best regards, Health&Care Mall Team: https://www.canadianhealthmall.com