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2002 identified two cases of colon cancer, a higher amount than expected in a group of young adults who received growth hormone before 1985, while still using cadaveric hormone. Since then, physicians indicated a synthetic version. In the new study, the authors found that 32 of the 58 603 children and adolescents recorded in the database of Pfizer between 1987 and 2008 developed cancer. That figure was similar to the 25 cases of cancer could be expected in the general pediatric population, the team of Dr. Patrick Wilton, Pfizer. The most common cancers in the study group were brain and spinal-nine children developed one of these cancers, unlike the four expected. But three of these extra cases, the researchers said, probably were already present at the time that children were included in the database and might be associated with underlying diseases rather than the treatment itself. There were also three cases of testicular cancer, above the 1.2 expected. But two of these men were born with undecided testicles, a risk factor for this cancer. With regard to leukemia, one of the most common childhood cancers, the rate was slightly higher than normal: three cases against six expected. The incidence of cancer did not increase over time, something would have happened if the growth hormone therapy cause tumors in some children. Of the 32 cancers reported in the study, 17 were diagnosed during the two years following the inclusion of children in the database, 11 occurred during the two to five years later and the remaining four, between five and 10 years later . The average follow up of children recorded no more than four years at the time of analysis. So it is difficult to draw conclusions about the risks of developing cancer in the long term due to the use of growth hormone. The team also stressed that any "comprehensive assessment" of cancer risk should include monitoring of former patients after stopping therapy. But there is still no systematic monitoring of patients after leaving the database of Pfizer.