(Newswire.net— October 22, 2020) — Until the latest discovery, experts thought that there were only microscopic salivary glands inside the nasopharynx behind the nose, but researchers at the Dutch Cancer Institute discovered a new set of salivary glands that are around 1.5 inches long (two centimeters) while conducting research on prostate cancer, Sky News reports.
The newly discovered glands were called tubular salivary glands because of their position above the part of the cartilage called the torus tuberous.
During the PSMA PET-CT scan, doctors injected the patients with a radioactive “trace”. This tracer binds well to the PSMA protein, which is elevated in prostate cancer cells and is also very good at detecting salivary gland tissue.
The researchers said that the newly discovered glands are probably used to lubricate the upper part of the throat behind the nose and mouth, writes Sky News.
To confirm their discovery, the scientists, led by oncologist Wouter Vogel, examined 100 patients and found that they all had those glands, and they dissected the area of the nasopharynx of two bodies and the results were the same.
The scientists’ findings could also help reduce the side effects of some cancer treatments, they said.
Doctors who use radiotherapy to treat head and neck cancer try to avoid the three main salivary glands because their damage can lead to patients having problems with speech and swallowing.
But being unaware of the presence of this set of glands, doctors still irradiated that area, which means that the patients still had side effects.
“Our next step is to find out how we can best spare these new glands and in which patients,” said. Dr. Vogel.
He added that if they find the way to do that, “patients may experience fewer side effects, which will benefit their overall quality of life after treatment.”