Netherland’s scientists have discovered a potential new organ in the human throat as they were carrying out research on prostate cancer, as reported by Live science. The Netherlands Cancer Institute researchers have identified the presence of a set of salivary glands situated deep in the upper part of the throat and named them “tubarial salivary glands”.

According to a study that was published in the journal Radiotherapy and Oncology, the researchers have confirmed the presence of the glands after investigating at least 100 patients. This discovery may be important for the treatment of cancer. Until now, the nasopharynx region that is behind the nose was not thought to host anything but only microscopic and diffuse salivary glands.

The newly discovered glands are around 1.5 inches in length on average and are situated over a piece of cartilage called the torus tubarius. The glands possibly lubricate and moisten the upper throat behind the nose and mouth.

So far, three large salivary glands in humans were known: one under the tongue, under the jaw and at the back of the jaw, which is behind the cheek. Study co-author and radiation oncologist of Netherlands Cancer Institute, Wouter Vogel said in a statement that outside those, maybe a thousand microscopic salivary glands are scattered in the mucosal tissue of the throat and mouth.

This new organ was discovered as the scientists were studying prostate cancer cells using PSMA PET-CT technology, which is a combination of CT scans and positron emission tomography (PET) —good in detection of the salivary gland tissues. In this procedure, a radioactive “tracer” is injected into the patient that binds to the protein PSMA and is higher in prostate cancer cells.

Vogel said that doctors who use radiotherapy for treating cancers in the head and neck mostly try to avoid the main salivary glands as the damagemight make eating, speaking or swallowing very difficult for these patients. In this case, the newly discovered glands were being hit by radiation as doctors were unaware of their presence in the human body. Hence, the new discovery might result in less side effects for cancer patients.

He further said that the next step is to discover how to spare these new glands and in which patients. If they did this, patients might experience less side effects, benefitting their overall quality of life after treatment.

Source: The Indian Express