Gene Mutations can Prevent Cancer, Instead of Causing It...

In an article on msnbc.com, it explains a recent study of short people living in Ecuador. A small group of short Ecuadorians have a rare disease call Laron Syndrome. Laron syndrome is when two different types of genes in the body are mutated. One gene that is mutated is the one that codes the growth hormone receptor (GHR). This mutations results with a decrease in insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1). High levels of IGF1 lead to cancer and diabetes, but when GHR is mutated it leads to a low amount of IGF1, which resists cancer and diabetes.

Some might say the article was uplifting, but I think it's a little depressing. There are only 250 people worldwide that have this disease, and they are short. I don't want to be short, even if it means getting cancer. It's also very rare to have the disease, so it is unlikely many people will get it naturally. Meaning, scientists will have to create a drug that alters GHR, which is very risky. If they make one mistake the person they are testing the drug on could critically altered forever. Furthermore, even if scientists are to come up with a drug mutating GHR, it'll take them years to create, perfect, and then get approved for public use.

This reading relates to our cancer study because with finds like these, scientists get one step closer to creating a prevention to cancer and diabetes. I'm not completely convinced that a preventative drug will be created, but I do have hope that it will. The only downside to a drug like this is that it does not cure the cancer. The genes are mutated so the body can fight the cancer and are less likely to get it. However, if someone already has cancer, would the drug help their body kill the cancer cells already formed, or can the drug only be used to prevent cancer from forming?

These questions are why I'm not completely sold on this article being hopeful. However, it is a good study, and can maybe be helpful if scientists work at their discovery.