Scientists discover new human organ that could help understand cancer

The discovery was made by accident while researchers studied bile ducts from a cancer patient

An investigation published in the Scientific Reports ensures that the organ is imperceptible to the eye. In fact, according to the research, for a long time there were layers under the skin that the researchers believed were dense, but in reality they were compartments filled with a liquid that they have called “interstitium”.

As well as the lining of organs such as the lungs, intestine or blood vessels, the interstitium extends throughout the body creating a network of flexible and strong proteins. Read also: Study reveals that loneliness increases the risk of dying from a heart attack

Researchers say that the interstitium is one of the largest organs of the human body, and although the first step was to discover that it was indeed an organ, what comes is to try to determine its functions.

However, the team of researchers ensures that these compartments could act as a kind of “shock absorbers” that would protect the body from harm.

The organ was discovered while researchers analyzed a patient’s bile duct for signs of cancer. They noticed cavities that did not coincide with any previously known human anatomy, and approached Dr. Neil Theise, a pathologist at New York University, to ask for his experience.

It was then when they realized that the traditional methods with which human tissues are observed pass through the interstitium, in fact, the methods of observation and analysis drain this liquid and thus destroy the organ.

When the tissues were crushed, they were determined as simple connective tissue. When they identified it in the bile duct, they were able to determine that it was found throughout the body. You may be interested: Up to 38% of childhood asthma is attributed to air pollution

After analyzing several frozen bile ducts, they realized that these drained into the lymphatic system vessels that transport the lymph, involved in the immune system. It was there when researchers realized that cancer cells make their way through the interstitium to the lymphatic system.

Since the interstitium is circulating throughout the body, it provides an unfortunate way of spreading cancer. This new frontier in human anatomy, the researchers say, may lead to investigation.