(CNN) - A new study suggests that scientists may have found a newly identified "organ" in the human body.
Not a distinct, well-defined organ like the heart, liver or even the skin, it's made up of widespread, fluid-filled spaces in and between tissues all over the body, known as the "interstitium."
Scientists have long known about interstitial tissue and fluid, but the new study raises the idea of calling it an "organ."
Neil Theise, one of the co-authors of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, thinks it may be the body's largest organ.
He estimates that it represents 20 percent of the body's volume, while the skin accounts for 16 percent.
Not all experts agree that the interstitium is an actual organ.
The study also indicates that it may play a role in the spread of cancer cells.
We discovered a new human organ! Comprising the submucosae of all visceral organs, the whole dermis, all perivascular connective tissue, and all fascia Maybe the largest organ by volume (~10 liters). & noone had ever seen it before! https://t.co/oNRr2YGPKf
— neil theise (@neiltheise) March 27, 2018
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