Study | Removal of thymus in adults linked to increased death, cancer incidence

Health Consequences of Thymus Removal in Adults – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentaries:

Doctors have long considered the thymus expendable. But could removing it be fatal? – Science

The thymus withers away after puberty. But it may be important for adults – Science News

Thymus gland critical for adult health, study finds – News Medical

Commentary on Twitter

In a study by Kooshesh et al., mortality, the risk of cancer, and levels of proinflammatory cytokines were higher among adults whose thymus had been removed than among control patients. Read the full study results: https://t.co/poaAiELsKG

— NEJM (@NEJM) August 2, 2023