Dwarf Village May Hold Clues to Cure Cancer

Scientists are trying to determine whether a group of dwarfs in Ecuador -- all of them living in a remote village on the slopes of the Andes Mountains -- could hold the clues to cure cancer.

The members of the group, about 100 of them closely studied by researchers from the University of Southern California, almost never get cancer or diabetes. And they all suffer from mutated genes that lower their growth hormone activity, stunting their growth.

In an article published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers suggest that blocking growth hormone in full-grown adults, through prescription drugs or a special diet, could unlock the mysteries of cancer.