Humor in Sexual Medicine (9 October from 15.00 to 15.30 hours) will feature humorous slides and video clips contributed by ISSM members. The submission deadline is 15 August 2014.  Viewers will vote for the best slides and videos and the winners' submissions will be posted to the Members Only section of the ISSM website after the meeting. Please click here for rules and submission instructions.

History of the ISSM (10 October at 16:00 hours) will present photos, slides and video clips encapsulating almost 40 years of ISSM history. Do you have any items you'd like to share? Submission guidelines are available here and the deadline is 15 August 2014.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

The use of sildenafil could increase a man's risk for melanoma, according to a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine. 

However, the study does not prove cause and effect and should not change physicians' treatment approaches.

“Our results should be interpreted cautiously and are insufficient to alter current clinical recommendations,” the authors wrote.

The researchers looked at data from 25,848 men with a mean age of 64.8 years. About 5.3% of the men had used sildenafil in the previous three months and 6.3% had used it at some point in the past.

Over a ten year period, 142 cases of melanoma were reported among the study subjects.

The research team found that those who had taken sildenafil - recently or ever - were at higher risk for melanoma. They were not at higher risk for developing squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma, two other forms of skin cancer.

Based on this study, some media have reported an 84% increase in the risk of melanoma for sildenafil users. However, this statistic refers to the relative risk, comparing two groups of study subjects.

As explained by Daniel Pendick in the Harvard Health Blog, the absolute risk is 0.43%. The number of melanoma cases per 1,000 men increased from 4.3 among non-users to 8.6 among users.  (Pendick was not involved in the study.)

In a JAMA Internal Medicine Invited Commentary, Dr. June K. Robinson recommended that clinicians who prescribe sildenafil also screen for melanoma.

Please click here for more information on this study.

Are you thinking about attending a sexual medicine meeting in the second half of 2014? There are several events to choose from: 

16th World Meeting On Sexual Medicine
Oct 8, 2014 - Oct 12, 2014

Sao Paulo, Brazil

34th Congress Of The SIU
Oct 12, 2014 - Oct 15, 2014

Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow, Scotland

ISSWSH 2014 Fall Course
Nov 14, 2014 - Nov 16, 2014

Scottsdale, AZ, USA

20th Annual Fall Scientific Meeting Of The SMSNA
Nov 20, 2014 - Nov 23, 2014

Eden Roc Renaissance, Miami Beach, USA

A complete list of events from now until June 2015 may be found here.