They discover a new human organ that would help cancer to spread.

The interstitium is a network of fluid-filled channels that has a protective function, and is also capable of transporting tumor cells throughout the body.

Human biology in itself continues to hold mysteries for science. A team of scientists has discovered a network of channels filled with fluid in the body, in what seems to be a new 'human organ': the interstitium.

It was already known that there was a space between the cells, called interstitial space, but a new investigation has given it the category of organ.

This network of channels would have a protective function, but it would also allow cancer cells to be transported from one place to another in the body, as detailed in the research, published in the journal Scientific Reports.

How is it that it has not been discovered before?
If indeed we are facing a new human organ, how is it that it has not been discovered before? Researchers believe that since standard approaches to processing and visualizing human tissue cause channels to drain, the collagen fibers that give the network its structure collapse on themselves. This would have made the channels look like a hard wall of dense protective fabric, rather than a kind of bag filled with liquid.

The organ contains about one fifth of the total volume of fluid in the human body.

"We think it works as a buffer," the scientists say. That is to say, that this network has a protective function.

It would help spread cancer
But in addition to protecting the organs, the network would also contribute to the spread of cancer, according to the observations of scientists.

When the team analyzed samples taken from people with invasive cancers, they found evidence that the cancer cells that had left their original tissues had been transported through these channels, which took them directly to the lymphatic system.

"We have before us a new window into the mechanism of tumor dissemination," the researchers emphasize.

The next step is to check whether analyzing the fluid in these newly discovered channels could lead to an earlier diagnosis of cancer. Moreover, scientists believe that the new organ could also be involved in other problems, such as edema, a rare liver disease and other inflammatory disorders.