Down Syndrome Gene Starves Tumor Growth

I heard this on NPR the other night and now the Boston Globe reports Children's Hospital researchers find Down syndrome gene starves tumor growth.

"It is a scientific riddle that has stumped, and deeply intrigued, specialists in cancer and genetics for decades: Why do people with Down syndrome so rarely develop life-threatening tumors?"

"The scientists discovered that the extra chromosome carried by people with Down syndrome - which causes the condition's distinctive features - harbors a gene responsible for starving tumors of the blood they need to survive and flourish."