American researchers have found that taking a daily dose of sildenafil citrate could help the sexual function of men who have radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Many men have erectile dysfunction (ED) after treatment. 

Two hundred seventy-nine men with localized prostate cancer participated in the study.  The men were just about to start radiotherapy at enrollment. At this point, 125 men started taking 50 mg of sildenafil citrate each day. The remaining 77 men began taking a placebo. The study protocol ran for six months from the start of radiotherapy.

The researchers assessed the men's sexual function at baseline and at various intervals over the next two years. A variety of questionnaires were used, including the International Index of Erectile Function-6 (IIEF-6).

At 12 months, the men taking sildenafil citrate had better overall scores on the IIEF-6.  Seventy-three percent of the sildenafil citrate group had mild or no ED.  For the men in the placebo group, this rate was 50%.

At 24 months, the men taking sildenafil citrate were still doing well, but not significantly better than the men in the placebo group. However, 82% of the men taking sildenafil citrate could achieve functional erections with our without ED drugs compared to 56% of the placebo group.

The study was published online as an accepted manuscript by The Journal of Urology. For more details, please click here.

Registration and abstract submission deadlines for the 16th World Meeting on Sexual Medicine are almost here!

The meeting will be held October 8 - 12, 2014 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Register by June 1, 2014 to take advantage of discounted registration fees.

Submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations by June 10, 2014.

The 16th World Meeting on Sexual Medicine is jointly organized by the ISSM and the Sociedad Latinoamericana de Medicina Sexual (SLAMS). For more information, please click here.