OSAKANov 09 (News On Japan) – A research group from Osaka University has discovered a world first showing that the right and left sides of the colon have different roles.
The team, including Osaka University and the National Cancer Center, collected and analyzed sections of the colon and small intestine from more than 100 people to investigate why colon cancer often occurs on the left side, the part further from the small intestine.
Contrary to the traditional view that the role of the large intestine is solely to ‘absorb water’, the study found that the left side mainly absorbs water, while the right side functions in a similar way to the small intestine, removing harmful foreign substances are removed from the body.
Furthermore, the research revealed that the small intestine plays a central role in the body’s immune system and is involved in controlling the progression of colon cancer. This new insight opens the door to the development of new cancer treatments that utilize the immune strength of the small intestine.
Source: YOMIURI
