2023-08-16 19:20:00
Study Reveals that Thymus Gland may Play a Role in Cancer Protection
It has long been believed that certain organs in the human body are relatively insignificant, with little or no effect on overall health. However, a new study suggests that one organ, the thymus gland, may actually play a crucial role in protecting against cancer.
The thymus gland, located behind the breastbone, is known to play a vital role in the immune system, particularly during childhood. It is responsible for the maturation and differentiation of T defense cells, which learn to distinguish between the body’s own cells and foreign cells.
Traditionally, it has been thought that the thymus gland loses its importance after puberty and often gets removed during heart surgeries to facilitate access. However, a recent investigation conducted by a research team challenges this notion and suggests that removing the thymus gland could have significant health consequences, increasing the risk of developing cancer and even leading to higher mortality rates.
Lead researcher David Scadden from Massachusetts General Hospital states that individuals without a thymus gland were found to have a minimum twice the risk of developing cancer or premature death. The likelihood of developing autoimmune diseases also increased by 1.5 times.
To conduct the study, the research team examined the health risks of 1,146 individuals who had undergone surgeries either with or without the removal of the thymus gland. After five years, the mortality rate for those without a thymus gland was 8.1 percent, whereas the rate for the control group was only 2.8 percent. Similarly, the cancer incidence was 7.4 percent in individuals without a gland, compared to 3.7 percent in the control group. These results were further supported by a comparative analysis with the general US population.
Furthermore, the study also identified a significant decrease in the production of important T-cell subtypes in individuals without a thymus gland. These T-cell subtypes, including “killer cells” that fight infections and tumors, were produced almost three times less in individuals who had undergone thymus removal.
Given these new findings, the researchers suggest that the importance of the thymus gland in adults should be further examined. They emphasize the need to reconsider whether its removal is necessary during surgeries.
The study, titled “Health Consequences of Thymus Removal in Adults,” was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2023.]
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