Tubarial salivary gland

The tubarial salivary glands, also known as the tubarial glands, are a pair of salivary glands found in humans between the nasal cavity and throat.^[1]

Description

The tubarial glands are found in the lateral walls of the nasopharynx overlying the torus tubarius.^[2][1][3] The tubarial salivary glands bind to PSMA,^[4] which is how they were discovered.^[4]

History

The glands were discovered by a group of Dutch scientists at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in September 2020 using PET/CT scans.^{[3][2][1][5][6]}

Significance

Most of the significance of the tubarial glands stems from their significance in radiotherapy. It is believed that avoiding the irradiation of the glands will prevent many of the side effects of radiotherapy, such as xerostomia.

Controversy

The claim that this organ was only recently discovered has been disputed by anatomists.^[7]

References

1. Hunt, Katie; Rogers, Kristen (October 21, 2020). "Scientists discover possible new organ in the human throat". CNN.
2. Pacha, Aswathi (October 22, 2020). "New pair of salivary glands in humans discovered". The Hindu.
3. Valstar, Matthijs H.; de Bakker, Bernadette S.; Steenbakkers, Roel J.H.M.; de Jong, Kees H.; Smit, Laura A.; Klein Nulent, Thomas J.W.; van Es, Robert J.J.; Hofland, Ingrid; de Keizer, Bart; Jasperse, Bas; Balm, Alfons J.M. (2020). "The tubarial salivary glands: A potential new organ at risk for radiotherapy". Radiotherapy and Oncology. 154: 292–298. doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2020.09.034. ISSN 0167-8140. PMID 32976871.
4. Pappas, Stephanie (20 October 2020). "Scientists discover new organ in the throat". livescience.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
5. Dockrill, Peter (20 October 2020). "Scientists Just Discovered a Mysterious Organ Lurking in The Centre of The Human Head". ScienceAlert.
6. Netherlands Cancer Institute (October 16, 2020). "Cancer researchers discover new salivary gland". Medical Xpress.
7. "Observations against the recent discovery of a new pair of salivary glands in humans".