Removing Your Thymus Gland Can Double Your Risk Of Dying Or Getting Cancer
The thymus gland, which sits behind your sternum, is often considered to be useless once you reach adulthood. However, it may serve more of a purpose than experts originally thought.
Researchers have found that the removal of the thymus can increase the risk of death from any cause in the five years after the surgery. In addition, it elevated the chances of developing cancer during that time.
“We discovered that the thymus is absolutely required for health. If it isn’t there, people’s risk of dying and risk of cancer is at least double,” said David Scadden, an oncologist at Harvard University.
The study was observational, meaning that it cannot definitively prove that thymus removal directly causes cancer or other fatal illnesses.
Still, the findings are of great concern, and the thymus should be preserved whenever possible until researchers know more about the effects of its removal.
In childhood, the thymus gland is important for aiding in the development of the immune system. When the gland is removed at a young age, long-term reductions in T-cells—white blood cells that fight germs and disease—are seen in patients.
Furthermore, kids without a thymus often have an impaired immune response to vaccines. However, by the time a child reaches puberty, the thymus shrivels up and does not produce as many T-cells.
It appears that no immediate harm will be done if it’s removed. Since the thymus is located in front of the heart, it is usually taken out during cardiothoracic surgery.
For some patients with thymus cancer or certain chronic autoimmune diseases, a thymectomy is required. But in other cases, the gland does not always need to be removed if it’s not causing any issues. In fact, the thymus could be beneficial to their health.
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Researchers in Boston used patient data from a state healthcare system to compare the outcomes of patients who received cardiothoracic surgery. A total of 1,146 people had their thymus removed, while 6,000 people did not have it removed.
Those who underwent a thymectomy were nearly twice as likely to die within five years compared to those who did not, even after accounting for age, gender, race, and various illnesses.
People who had their thymus removed were also twice as likely to develop cancer within five years of the surgery. Additionally, the cancer was more aggressive and often came back after treatment.
“This indicates that the consequences of thymus removal should be carefully considered when contemplating thymectomy,” Scadden said.
The researchers suspect that a lack of thymus disrupts the function of an adult’s immune system, although it’s unclear why that is. The findings show that even in adulthood, the thymus plays a major role in supporting our health.
The details of the study were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
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