A Newly-Discovered “Organ” and Its Ties to Cancer

During a non-surgical procedure of the gastrointestinal tract, researchers discovered a new organ—the “interstitium”—that may help scientists better understand how cancer spreads.

The organ is a “fluid-filled interstitial space, draining to lymph nodes and supported by a complex network of thick collagen bundles,” the study authors described. Because of the way the organ works, it may demonstrate how cancer spreads and moves into the lymphatic system, they said.

If the broader scientific community accepts these findings, the interstitium would become the eightieth organ in the human body.

Journal: Nature