- U-Report
VIVA – The discovery of new organ in the human body is relevant for treating cancer as radiotherapy can cause complications in these new organs and doctors need to take this into consideration.
Oncologists from the Netherlands have discovered a new gland within the human face which they’ve dubbed the tubarial glands, where the research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Radiotherapy and Oncology.
To learn more about cancer processes in the head and neck, the researchers used scans with radioactive glucose that "highlighted" certain areas of the body. They made use of positron emission tomography and computed tomography scans, as quoted from the Sputniknews website, Monday, January 2, 2023.
The oncologists scanned about 100 patients and cadavers. And what surprised them was that certain areas of the face continued to glow.
Kelenjar tubarial, organ baru yang ditemukan di tubuh manusia
- Radioterapi dan Onkologi
At first, they decided that it was some kind of anomaly, but further investigation revealed that they were dealing with a completely new part of the human body.
Tubarial glands take part in the production of saliva inside the mouth. This new organ is roughly the same size as the three main salivary glands. However, they are located on either side of the nasopharynx.
This discovery is consistent with the research team's main goal of learning more about cancer. Radiotherapy that kills cancer cells can cause salivary gland complications, including the newly discovered ones.
Doctors should avoid targeting this new part of the face. Previously, it was believed that the salivary or mucus glands in the nasopharynx were much smaller and spread evenly across the mucosa.
