It's hardly a stunning discovery given the advancement of science and technology, and that's exactly what a Dutch research team did when they realized humans had a whole additional organ back in September 2020. They made the discovery totally by mistake when researching prostate cancer.
This secret organ was, to be more precise, right behind it all along, directly under our eyes.
Keep reading to find out more.
You might ask how a team researching prostate cancer could find an organ in the human brain at this stage, given that those are two different ends of the body.
Everything happened after a series of CT and PET scans were performed on individuals who had received an injection of radioactive glucose, which causes tumors to glow in the images, by doctors researching cancer.
It was previously believed that the area behind the nose known as the nasopharynx only contained small, dispersed salivary glands; however, the recently discovered set measure an average of 1.5 inches (3.9 cm) in length. The tubarial salivary glands were discovered and are so named by discoverers because they are situated above a cartilage known as the torus tubarius.
According to the researchers' online article published in the journal Radiotherapy and Oncology on September 23, the glands likely lubricate and moisten the upper throat behind the nose and mouth.
The team at the Netherlands Cancer Institute saw that two regions of the patients' heads were illuminating abnormally frequently and deduced that a group of salivary glands was hidden there.
The glands surprised scientists, who were puzzled about how they managed to go unnoticed for so long after their discovery.
The team at the Netherlands Cancer Institute saw that two regions of the patients' heads were illuminating abnormally frequently and deduced that a group of salivary glands was hidden there.
The glands surprised scientists, who were puzzled about how they managed to go unnoticed for so long after their discovery. He revealed, "People have three sets of large salivary glands, but not there."
Dr. Wouter Vogel continued, "As far as we knew, the only salivary or mucous glands in the nasopharynx are microscopically small, and up to 1,000 are evenly spread out throughout the mucosa. So, imagine our surprise when we found these."
Identifying this organ may light up why radiation patients frequently have dry mouth and swallowing issues following treatment. Dr. Vogel claimed that due to ignorance of their existence, "nobody ever tried to spare them" and that "one misguided zap" may irreversibly harm the organ.
Even though the discovery was unintentional, researchers expect that in the future, their results can assist cancer patients in enduring radiotherapy with fewer side effects because they believe many of these side effects are related to the tubarial salivary glands.
Finding a way to avoid harming them during radiotherapy treatment is the "next step" now that they are aware of this organ.
Radiotherapists can now avoid giving radiation to this area of the body to prevent difficulties as a result of the discovery of these "tubarial glands."
