The long, flat bone located in the middle of your chest is called the sternum. Seven bones of the upper part of the rib are attached to it. Behind this ‘sternum’ is a small, fat gland – thymus – which is said to become ‘useless’ when it grows up. Often doctors remove it during some other surgery. However, a new study shows that the thymus gland is not that ‘useless’.

The risk of cancer doubles if this gland is not there:

American researchers found that people whose gland is removed have an increased risk of death later in life due to any reason. In such people, the risk of cancer also increases. After the research was published, David Scadden, an oncologist at Harvard University, said, ‘We found that the thymus is very important for health. If it is not there, then the risk of death and cancer of people at least doubles.

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This research is entirely based on observations. This means that it cannot be shown through this that there is a direct connection between removing the thymus gland and getting cancer or other fatal diseases. However, the researchers said that in their opinion, doctors should make it a priority to save the thymus as far as possible.

Uses and Location of thymus gland:

In childhood, in the development of the body’s immune system, the thymus gland plays an important role. When the gland is removed at a young age, patients see a long-term decrease in T cells. This is a type of white blood cell that fights germs and disease. Without a thymus, children also have a reduced immune response to vaccines. When a person reaches the threshold of youth, the thymus gland shrinks. Then it produces very few T cells for the body. It can be removed without immediate harm, and since it is in front of the heart, it is often removed during cardiothoracic surgery.