Laron Syndrome: the Light at the End of the Tunnel for Cancer Prevention

Reflection from "Short Ecuadorians hold anti-aging secret"

I found this article extremely interesting. The article talked about the relation of the mutation of the growth hormone receptor that causes Laron Syndrome to the prevention of cancer and diabetes. It kind of made me happy that although we have this terrible disease in which people can't grow, because of this disease we could also potentially cure cancer! The mutation that causes Laron Syndrome can possibly help prevent cancer and diabetes.

By studying 100 people who suffer from Laron Syndrome for 22 years, Jamie Guevara-Aguirre has found an interesting relation of the mutation of the growth hormone receptor that causes Laron Syndrome to the amount of IGF1 a body has. In the article, it says, "High levels of IGF1 have been implicated in cancer and diabetes in previous studies, and low levels have been found to cause increased longevity in everything from yeast and worms to mice." People who have Laron Syndrome have low levels of IGF1. They don't suffer from diabetes or cancer, however their life span is the same as normal people or even shorter. I found it interesting that although they have this terrible disease that limits their growth, their chance of getting cancer or diabetes is extremely slim. Furthermore, even if they are obese, their chance of getting cancer or diabetes is still almost impossible. This leads to the possibility that scientists could figure a way to use these mutated gene receptors to prevent cancer and diabetes from the studies of people with Laron Syndrome.

I found this article very hopeful because it gives me hope that cancer can be prevented, and someday will be preventable. This article really relates to our study of cancer and the cell cycle because in Laron Syndrome, the mutation of more than one growth hormone receptor can lead to cancer. We have been learning about how mutations in the cell cycle can cause cancer. This article showed us a specific case of mutations leading to cancer, and it really made me realize how important and interesting the information we are learning truly is.

Through studying the mutation that leads to Laron Syndrome, Valter Longo said that using drugs or controlled diets could also help to prevent cancer and diabetes in this article. Another interesting fact I found in that article, was that 1/3 of the about 300 people with Laron Syndrom in the world live in the Ecuadorean Andes.

Sources:

"Short Ecuadorians hold anti-aging secret"-Jennifer Welsh

"Dwarfism Offers Longevity Clues"-Gautam Naik

Picture source: 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703961104576148422547757048.html