Twins With Uncommon Growth Condition May Hold Cancer Prevention Secrets

How these twins rare growth disorder – In the heart of Ecuador’s southern Andes mountain range lies a small community called Piñas. This remote settlement, home to approximately 8,000 residents living in scattered valley houses, contains an unexpectedly large concentration of individuals affected by Laron syndrome. This uncommon genetic disorder restricts physical growth, preventing sufferers from exceeding 1.2 meters or 3.9 feet in height.

María Luisa Romero and her identical twin sister, María del Cisne, both carry this condition. They credit their mutual support for helping them navigate life’s difficulties. “We’re always strong, we pool our strength and one defends the other,” María Luísa explains as she sits on a sofa next to her sister.

While managing Laron syndrome presents various obstacles, scientists suggest it might offer an unforeseen benefit. Studies indicate that people with this condition experience lower rates of illnesses including diabetes and cancer compared to the broader population. Researchers are now exploring whether understanding this phenomenon could enable new preventive therapies.

Understanding the Genetic Mutation

Individuals with Laron syndrome, alternatively called growth hormone insensitivity, cannot properly utilize the growth hormone their bodies produce. The genetic alteration received its name from pediatrician Zvi Laron, who discovered it six decades ago while treating patients in Israel.

Currently, 840 cases are documented worldwide, with most patients residing in Ecuador’s southern provinces of El Oro and Loja. According to Professor Laron, who now works at Tel Aviv University, the mutation originated in Indonesia thousands of years ago. It spread westward as carriers followed ancient merchant pathways. Sephardic Jewish populations carrying the mutation eventually migrated across multiple continents, with some reaching the Americas. After generations of marrying within their community in isolated regions, Ecuador developed an unusually high concentration of affected individuals.

Living alongside others with the same condition has eased the twins’ daily struggles. “We can tell each other about the things that happen to us, the good and the bad, because we definitely share many of the challenges we have to face every day,” explains María del Cisne.

Scientific Investigation and Breakthroughs

The sisters operate a chocolate-making enterprise and aspire to establish their own factory. Moving away for education proved more difficult initially. “They had never seen short persons like us there, so everyone looked at us strangely. They pointed at us. It was odd,” María Luisa recalls.

Professor Laron is preparing to release a comprehensive research paper documenting every known case of the mutation between 1966 and 2025. “It is the first time we know the exact number of Laron syndrome patients and the many variants of the growth hormone receptor defects,” he tells BBC Mundo.

Knowing their condition contributes to medical progress helps patients endure its challenges. The twins participated in extensive research led by Dr. Jaime Guevara, who observed reduced disease rates among Laron patients. Dr. Guevara has investigated this population for 22 years. To understand the mechanism, he collaborated with Dr. Valter Longo, an aging specialist at the University of Southern California.

Their investigation examined roughly 100 Laron patients and 1,600 normal-height relatives from identical villages. Over 22 years, researchers recorded zero diabetes cases and only one non-fatal cancer among Ecuadorian Laron patients. In contrast, normal-height individuals showed 5% diabetes and 17% cancer rates. Since environmental and genetic factors remained consistent between groups, scientists concluded the growth hormone activity likely protected adults past their growth phase.

“The idea is to be able to replicate, through a drug or a diet, what happens in people with Laron syndrome, in other people without the syndrome,” says endocrinologist Dr Jaime Guevara, who has been studying it for 40 years. “It would be a great contribution from this wonderful community to the world.”