In 2017, one study claimed that PDE5i consumption was directly associated with an increased risk of melanoma (one of the most serious skin cancers) and thus alerted consumers to the drug.
Those who take medicines to treat erectile dysfunction can, however, now breathe a sigh of relief. A new study, published in 2018, found that the drugs in question (including Cialis) can cause unpleasant side effects, but not melanoma.
A rigorous analysis of as many as 20 thousand medical reports has led to the conclusion: there is no direct link between drug intake and the onset of the disease. In fact, melanoma depends on environmental factors and lifestyle habits. The fact remains, however, that those who use Cialis see the risk of becoming ill.
“What our study points out is that men with high incomes and good education tend to get sick more often and tend to have regular holidays in the sun and that they have the financial resources to buy the expensive drug for erectile dysfunction,” he wrote. Dr. and Assistant Professor Stacy Loeb, first author of the publication.
Loeb therefore stated that the study does not deny that PDE5i increase the risk of getting melanoma. That risk, in fact, rises by 21%. The increase, however, is already at the first intake of the drug and remains unchanged if ED drugs are used over time. This circumstance, which suggests the absence of a direct relationship (such as “the more you take it, the more likely you are to get sick”).
A small dose of PDE5i a day reduces the risk of developing colorectal cancer, one of the most common and deadly cancers in the world. This was demonstrated by a research team from the Georgia Cancer Center and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Augusta (United States). Scholars, coordinated by Professor Darren D. Browning, came to this conclusion after conducting some experiments on mice, while they were looking for other unpredictable effects of the drug on health.
But how does tadalafil – the active ingredient of Cialis – reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer? The drug acts directly against the formation of polyps, agglomerations of abnormal cells in the intestinal tissue that can give rise to cancer. Browning and colleagues observed that in mice (of any age) administered a small dose of PDE5i halved the formation of intestinal polyps, thereby reducing the risk of developing cancer. Curiously they found an even greater effect with another drug, linaclotide, normally used against constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, however it triggered diarrhea, so it was not considered suitable.
Cialis, on the other hand, in very small doses has no side effects to health – it even can help fully restore erectile function and is approved for daily use by FDA as Cialis Daily (tadalafil 2.5mg / 5mg). Its active ingredient would seem to promote the production of a molecule called cyclic GMP, which in turn puts a brake on the proliferation of abnormal intestinal cells and promotes the replication of healthy ones, constantly ‘stressed’ by what we introduce into our body with meals.
