Could Your Thymus Be the Key to Fighting Cancer?
Your thymus is a thyme leaf-shaped double-lobed organ located in the center of your chest, directly beneath your breastbone at the level of your heart. It’s part of your lymphatic system. The outer layer is called the cortex and the inner area is called the medulla. The two types of cells that make up the thymus are: 1 Reticular cells, a subtype of connective tissue Lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells responsible for the specificity of your adaptive immune responses. Lymphocytes include thymus-derived cells (T cells), thymus-independent lymphocytes (B cells) and natural killer cells (NK cells) Your Thymus — The Key to Immune Health The primary function of the thymus is to aid in the maturation process of T cells, which are in charge of determining your immune response to antigens. Immature T cells produced by the bone marrow first migrate into the cortex of the thymus. Once there, they begin to differentiate and m...