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Old Testament. February 21, 2020 – Dutch researchers have found what could be a previously unknown set of large salivary glands in the space where the nasal cavity meets the throat, the New York Times reported Monday.
If confirmed, these glands could be the first of their kind discovered in about 300 years. Modern anatomy books show only three types of salivary glands, one set near the ears, another under the jaw, and a third under the tongue. “Now, we think there is a fourth,” said researcher Dr. Matthijs Valstar, a surgeon at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Times.
The report was recently published in the magazine Radiotherapy and Oncology.
Dr. Valerie Fitzhugh, a pathologist at Rutgers University who was not involved in the research, told the Times that although the study was small, “it seems that they may be onto something. If it’s real, it could change the way we view disease in this region.”
Dr. Yvonne Mowery, a radiation oncologist at Duke University in North Carolina, told the newspaper that she was “quite surprised that this is 2020 and we have a new structure identified in the human body.”
It is not clear how these glands hid for so long. But, “the location is not very accessible and you need very sensitive images to detect it,” said researcher Dr. Wouter Vogel, a radiation oncologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Times.
This finding could help explain why people who undergo radiation therapy to the head or neck often end up with chronic dry mouth and swallowing problems, Vogel said.
Dr. Alvand Hassankhani, a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told the Times not sure if they are “new organs”. Dutch researchers may have found a better way to see a set of minor glands, he explained.
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