I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 134:14 NIV)

Over the years, doctors have considered the Thymus gland, located behind your sternum, as basically useless in adults, and because of this belief, it is removed at the first hint of trouble and often routinely removed during cardiac surgery.

The Thymus plays an important role in the development of our immune system as a child, but as we get older it shrinks in size, leaving the impression it no longer serves a useful purpose.

However, researchers in Boston are calling into question that old idea and believe the Thymus may play a significant role in fighting off cancer, Science Alert reports.

After comparing the results of 6,000 people who received cardiothoracic surgery and did not have their thymus removed with 1,146 who did, the researcher found that for those who had their Thymus removed:

• Doubled their chances of being diagnosed with cancer over the next five years
• Had more aggressive cancer compared to those who still had their Thymus.

READ: ‘Useless’ Organ That Doctors Often Remove May Actually Fight Cancer