A 54-year-old man in Hangzhou, China, known only by his surname Xu, was thought to have lung cancer by his doctor.
However, after a bronchoscopy, they found out that it was a chilli pepper tip that was stuck in his lung.
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According to Chinese newspaper Dushi Kuaibao, Mr Xu suffered a persistent cough for two years that never improved despite taking medicine.
In June, he finally decided to visit the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Zhejiang Hospital for treatment.
A CT scan showed a 1-centimetre mass in Mr Xu’s right lower lung as well as enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes, which made his doctor suspect that he was having lung cancer.
According to Dr Luo Jing, the original plan was to remove part of Mr Xu’s lung tissue through minimally invasive thoracoscopy so he could identify the nature of the mass.
However, when a tracheal intubation was inserted, a black and red foreign body was sucked up.
After a bronchoscopy, it was found that the foreign body was a chilli pepper tip he had choked on while eating hotpot two years ago.
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In most cases, foreign bodies in the bronchus may have no obvious symptoms, stated Dr Luo, as reported by Mirror Media.
However, in Mr Xu’s case, the foreign body remained in the bronchial tubes for a long time, causing chronic cough or lung infection.
Choking may have caused the chilli pepper tip to escape from his trachea into his lungs, Dr Zhu Xinhai, director of thoracic surgery, explained.
Image courtesy of Yale Medicine for illustrative purposes only
The chilli pepper tip stimulated the lungs such that it caused hyperplasia, which is often an early sign of cancer.
Under the hyperplastic tissue, the chilli pepper tip was difficult to detect through normal examination methods.
Following the incident, experts gave reminders that if a person has been coughing for an extended period of time and a cause cannot be determined, they should consider the possibility of a foreign body stuck in their bronchus.
Individuals experiencing this are recommended to go to the hospital for examination to find the cause through bronchoscopy.
Chief physician and Director of the Department of Respiratory Medicine Ye Jian also noted that if a foreign body is not removed in time, the effect can range from a respiratory infection and a collapsed lung to death from suffocation, Mirror Media reported.
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