Thymus may be linked to adult health and treatment outcomes

Two large studies using AI analysis of routine CT scans reported that higher 'thymic health' scores in adults were associated with lower risks of death, cardiovascular death, and lung cancer, and that stronger thymic health was linked to better outcomes for cancer patients receiving immunotherapy.

The thymus, an organ in the chest that helps train T cells in early life, may play a meaningful role in adult health, researchers reported. Two studies led by investigators at Harvard-affiliated Mass General Brigham used artificial intelligence to analyze routine CT scans and generate a "thymic health" score. One study drew on more than 25,000 adults from a national lung cancer screening trial and over 2,500 participants from the Framingham Heart Study. The work appeared as two papers in the same issue of Nature and was led by a team including Hugo Aerts. Key findings: - Researchers used AI to evaluate thymus size, shape, and composition on CT scans and to create a thymic health score for study participants. - Adults with higher thymic health scores were reported to have about a 50 percent lower risk of death, a 63 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death, and a 36 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer compared with those with lower scores; these associations remained significant after adjusting for age and other factors. - In a separate analysis of more than 1,200 patients treated with immunotherapy, stronger thymic health was associated with about a 37 percent lower risk of cancer progression and a 44 percent lower risk of death after accounting for patient, tumor, and treatment factors. - The researchers reported associations between poorer thymic health and chronic inflammation, smoking, and higher body weight, while noting the studies did not test whether modifying these factors improves thymic function. - The authors cautioned that the imaging method requires further validation and is not yet ready for routine clinical use; ongoing research includes studies into care-related factors such as unintended radiation exposure to the thymus in lung cancer patients. The research received support from the National Institutes of Health. Summary: The studies reported a link between thymic health on CT imaging and differences in mortality, cardiovascular outcomes, cancer incidence, and response to immunotherapy, suggesting the thymus may influence how adults age and respond to disease. Researchers emphasize that findings need confirmation, the imaging approach needs validation, and further studies are underway to clarify possible causes and clinical implications.