The main reason why the interstitium has never been discovered before is that of traditional methods of examining the human anatomy. The “fixing” method that assembled microscopic slides was destroying the structure of the organ by draining out fluids.
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Instead of identifying the shock absorber of the body, the squashed cells were disregarded and written off as simple layers of connective tissue. The researchers soon found that the interstitium exists in the bile duct and also surrounds many of the main internal organs. It acted as a cushion for the organs in the body and protected them from harm.
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Research ion the interstitium then included a Biopsy of the tissue taken from the bile ducts of 12 patients. The tissue was frozen for further study. The research on the new organ also revealed that it drained into the lymphatic system which is the vessel network that transports lymph throughout the body. This is also involved in maintaining the immunity of the body.
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This Interstitium contains approximately 1/5th of the total fluid volume of the human body; it acted like a highway of sorts for the fluid to move freely around the body. But now the biggest bummer about the organ is its most astonishing revelation that could explain how cancer spreads throughout the body. It is this very network that could be responsible for allowing cancer cells to move freely to other parts of the body.
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This revelation holds a huge significance for science which can now develop new tests and treatments for cancer by targeting and prohibiting the interstitium from aiding the flow of cancer.
According to Dr Theise “This finding has potential to drive dramatic advances in medicine, including the possibility that the direct sampling of interstitial fluid may become a powerful diagnostic tool,”
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