Researchers inadvertently found a new organ in the human body

The unexpected discovery could benefit cancer patients

It appears there is a new organ in the human body that we were previously unaware of.

The human body's capabilities continue to astonish, even though one might think that by the 21st century, we would have complete knowledge of it.

This assumption was challenged when a team of scientists unexpectedly discovered an organ that had never been identified before, entirely by accident, and they even had the chance to give it a new name.

Scientists from the Netherlands Cancer Institute were studying prostate cancer in September 2020 when they made a groundbreaking discovery. Surprisingly, the organ is not located near the prostate; instead, it's positioned at the opposite end.

This unexpected organ has been hidden right under our noses all along, or more precisely, just behind it, and it plays a crucial role.

It remained unnoticed for centuries

The discovery could shed light on why cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy often experience dry mouth and swallowing problems, as the newly identified part is located in the head, just beneath the face.

If you're curious how scientists studying prostate cancer stumbled upon a new organ in the head, it was revealed during their scanning process.

While examining the cancer, they performed CT and PET scans on patients who had been injected with radioactive glucose, theoretically causing tumors to glow on the scans.

During the scans, the team observed two areas in the patients' heads glowing more than expected, eventually realizing there was a hidden set of salivary glands there.

The team named these the tubarial salivary glands, as they are located behind the nose and where the nasal cavity connects to the throat.

The function of these glands is to 'lubricate and moisten the area of the throat behind the nose and mouth'.

It was revealed through 'sensitive' scans

Although scientists were astonished that the glands had remained undetected for so many years, Dr. Wouter Vogel, a radiation oncologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, explained that this is likely because the glands are extremely small.

Dr. Vogel mentioned that they were only identified due to 'very sensitive imaging' and are 'not very accessible'.

He stated: "People have three sets of large salivary glands, but not in that location.

"To our knowledge, the only salivary or mucous glands in the nasopharynx are microscopically small, with up to 1,000 distributed evenly throughout the mucosa. So, imagine our surprise when we discovered these."

Alarmingly, Dr. Vogel noted that a 'single misdirected zap' during medical treatments could cause permanent damage to the organ, although 'nobody ever tried to spare them' before, which is understandable since their existence was unknown.

They now hope the discovery will reduce some side effects associated with cancer treatments and radiotherapy, as scientists believe the treatment might be exerting uncomfortable pressure on the tubarial salivary glands.

With this knowledge, they state that the 'next step' involves determining how to preserve the organ during treatment.