A tiny organ plays a larger role in maintaining health than previously thought. The appendix is often dismissed as an unnecessary organ. But Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers found it plays a ...

You may have heard that astronauts have their appendix removed before leaving Earth. After all, people say you can live without this organ because it serves no purpose, but how much truth is there in ...

It was the first day of spring break in 1992 in Phoenix, and 12-year-old Heather Smith was excited for her family's upcoming ski trip. But before Smith and her family had even packed their snow pants, ...

MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Colbert is away from late-night TV following emergency surgery last week — the comedian's appendix burst. That made us wonder: What does the appendix do for our body? And why are ...

Just when we thought we had enough on our medical to-do list-Pap smears, mammograms, cholesterol checks, stress management, hydration, posture-now we're hearing that appendix cancer is on the rise?

Appendix cancer is a condition that, until recently, was so rare that most people never gave it a second thought. For decades, it was the kind of disease that doctors might encounter only once or ...