23/12/2025
Still discovering how the human body functions—its creation is truly marvelous, and the complexity of human beings is awe-inspiring.
An entirely new organ has been found behind your nose!
In a remarkable anatomical discovery, scientists have identified a previously unknown pair of salivary glands hidden deep behind the nose—marking the first addition to major human salivary glands in centuries.
Named the tubarial salivary glands, these structures are about 1.5 inches long and sit where the nasal cavity meets the upper throat.
Researchers in the Netherlands stumbled upon them in 2020 while using advanced imaging scans intended for prostate cancer detection. These scans are designed to highlight salivary tissue, and to their surprise, a distinct region lit up in an area long thought to contain no major glands. Follow-up scans of 100 individuals and dissections of two cadavers confirmed the glands' consistent presence.
Though small, these glands play a critical role in moistening the upper throat—particularly during swallowing, breathing, and speaking. But until now, they were completely unknown to medical science. That has real consequences: in head and neck cancer treatments, radiation often unintentionally damages salivary glands, leading to long-term side effects like difficulty swallowing or speaking. After reviewing over 700 cancer cases, researchers found that patients who received higher radiation doses in this newly discovered area experienced more complications. Now that the tubarial glands are recognized, radiation therapy protocols can be adjusted to avoid harming them—offering a straightforward way to improve patient outcomes.
Source: Valstar, M. H., et al. The tubarial salivary glands: a potential new organ at risk for radiotherapy. Radiotherapy and Oncology.
