Man had fir tree growing in lung

A MAN who complained to doctors of severe chest pains was stunned when told his suspected tumour was actually a fir tree growing inside his lung.

Artyom Sidorkin, 28, from the Urals region of Russia, is believed to have inhaled a seed which then sprouted inside him.

Doctors were convinced he had cancer after he came to them complaining of agonising chest pains and coughing up blood.

Surgeon Vladimir Kamashev from Izhevsk said: “We did X-rays and found what looked exactly like a tumour. I had seen hundreds before, so we decided on surgery.”

Before removing the major part of the man’s lung, the surgeon investigated the tissue taken in a biopsy.

“I thought I was hallucinating,” said Dr Kamashev.

“I asked my assistant to have a look: ‘Come and see this — we’ve got a fir tree here’.”

The 2in (5cm) spruce, which was said to be touching the man’s capillaries and causing severe pain was removed.

Sidorkin, now recovering after the op, said: “To be honest I did not feel any foreign object inside me. But I’m just so relieved it’s not cancer.”