Possible new organ in the human throat discovered by Dutch scientists - CNN

It's important to have confirmation of new medical findings."

The glands cannot be seen with conventional methods of medical imaging like ultrasound, CT scans (computerized topography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), the study authors said.

"As the famous (late French biologist) Louis Pasteur once said: 'Chance favors the prepared mind.'"

New organ?

It was a matter of debate whether the tubarial glands were a completely new organ or could be considered part of the salivary gland organ system, the study added.

"These findings support the identification of the tubarial glands as a new anatomical and functional entity," said the study, which published in the journal Radiotherapy and Oncology.

The glands could be newly discovered, "but it is difficult to exclude that these might represent groups of minor salivary glands," said Dr.

"For most patients, it should technically be possible to avoid delivering radiation to this newly discovered location of the salivary gland system in the same way we try to spare known glands," Vogel said.

"Our next step is to find out how we can best spare these new glands and in which patients.