They told him he had cancer, but the “tumor” they found had everyone rolling

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A British man will go down in history after doctors removed a tiny traffic cone that they first believed to be a tumor.

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Paul Baxter, 47, went to the doctor after he began to cough up yellow mucus. Following an x-ray of his lungs, doctors believed that Baxter might have had a tumor that might have been cancerous. A bronchoscopy scheduled later revealed that Baxter did not have a tumor in his lungs but a “long-lost Playmobil traffic cone” that was about 1cm in length.

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Doctors concluded that Baxter inhaled the piece as a child, probably around the age of 7 when he first received the Playmobil set. Baxter reported that everyone in the room “just fell about laughing” after the realization, but the incident was so unique that it was recorded in a medical journal. The toy in Baxter’s lungs is only the fifth documented case of an object remaining undetected in a body for over 20 years.

“It was just sat there for 40 years. I had pneumonia when I was 18 and nothing was picked up then. I was in hospital in 2004 with a brain abscess and had an MRI scan but again nothing was picked up,” Baxter added.

As for the toy cone, Baxter said, “I will keep it forever, pass it on to my grandchildren.” He added that he watches his grandchildren around toys now.

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