A few weeks ago, a new finding by the University of Amsterdam was published, stating their discovery of a new, not yet described organ in the human body. This was such a significant discovery that even non scientific news portals reported it.
But what is it exactly? The mentioned new organ is a major salivary gland located in the dorsolateral wall of the nasopharynx above the torus tubarius. The new organ was named after its location: Tubarial Salivary Gland. A new molecular imaging method, called PSMA PET/CT was used for the discovery. The method is based on a ligand marked with the help of a positron emitter, which connects specifically to PSA (prostate specific antigen, found in the bigger portion of patients suffering from prostate cancer)
This method was originally use to look for metastasis in cancer patients. During one of these examinations they noticed a higher intensity, similar to the major salivary glands, in an unusual location. The main function of this organ is most likely to lubricate the wall of the pharynx during the process of swallowing.
The research team followed up on this discovery by performing PSMA PET/CT on another 100 prostate cancer patients, all of which showed similar high intensity areas in that same area. Additionally they dissected 2 human cadavers and examined that area using immunohistochemistry and concluded that there in fact that wall consists of mainly mucinous glands. Next they performed an MRI scan on a healthy individual, which showed a low intensity signal in the wall of the nasopharynx similar to the major salivary glands.
Well the question arises why did it take such a long time to discover this relatively large and well defined organ. We already knew about microscopical salivary glands in the pharynx wall and from a clinical standpoint nasopharyngeal cancer arises from a carcinogenic mutation of these exact glands. During the history of anatomical discoveries many structures have been noted as variable or have been forgotten due to the lack of clinical relevance.
Why is this relevant to us? This area has a rather important significance in the clinical field. During radiotherapy treatment of certain head and neck cancers, the salivary glands can easily be damaged or even lose their function completely. Loss of function can lead to swallowing and speech difficulties, and the chance of tooth decay or oral infections increase. Based on that protecting the salivary glands is significant in radiotherapy. So in conclusion the proper planning of the therapy can actually be a life improving factor for said patients.
To give your mind some rest: I highly doubt that any anatomy examiner will ask you to recognise this new organ, however because of the clinical relevance and actuality some professors and teachers might check if you’re up to date.