A man in China, whose cough had persisted for over two years, breathed a sigh of relief after learning that the reason was a piece of chilli pepper stuck in his lung, rather than cancer.
The 54-year-old man is from the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang and is only known by his last name, Xu. According to the South China Morning Post, he had been treating his cough on his own with over-the-counter medications but had not noticed any difference. He ultimately made the decision to get checked out at Zhejiang Hospital's Thoracic Surgery Department in June.
A one-centimetre-long tumour inside his right lung was discovered by a CT scan, raising the possibility that he was suffering from pneumonia or a cancerous tumour. Further, the man's concern about lung cancer grew after advanced tests showed swollen mediastinal lymph nodes, which are located in the chest's middle region between the lungs.
On July 3, Mr. Xu had a thoracoscopy to remove a portion of his lung tissue so that a test could be performed to confirm the cancer. However, doctors were surprised to detect the tip of a chilli pepper, a foreign object lodged in the area. Mr. Xu then recalled badly choking and coughing during a hotpot meal two years ago, probably due to inhaling the pepper.
Zhu Xinhai, Director of the Thoracic Surgery Department at Zhejiang Hospital, said the chilli pepper could have moved into his lung. The foreign object was "hidden" under the tissue, making it challenging to find using standard inspection techniques, resulting in an enlarged lymph in his right lung. Since the pepper was in his bronchial tubes for a long time, it developed a lung infection that led to a cough for over two years.
