Adult thymus health linked to longevity and reduced cancer/heart disease risk

A deep-learning CT‑based thymic health score was developed and applied to 27,612 adults in NLST and the Framingham Heart Study. Higher thymic health was consistently associated with lower all-cause mortality, reduced lung cancer incidence, and lower cardiovascular mortality; thymic health also correlated with lifestyle factors and systemic inflammation, supporting the thymus as an active driver of immune health in adulthood and a potential target for healthy aging strategies.