# Are tumors edible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594 "2010-08-26T22:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/1 "2010-08-26T22:19:50Z")
(Partially inspired by **shantih’s** post in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575881)…) Now, before you say, _“EWW!! NAASTY!”_, think about it – tumors are just meat. In fact, most of the food we eat comes from squicky places, if you think about it. Bacon’s taken from a pig’s ass, cheese is a mixture of fermented breast secretions and cow’s stomach acid, eggs are avian embryos, and some people even consider [placenta stew](http://pregnancy.about.com/od/placenta/a/placentarecipes.htm) a delicacy. So there’s nothing all that unusual about tumors, once you get beyond the “eww!” factor. Or am I wrong? Could eating tumors cause health problems? Assuming they are fully cooked, of course…and how nutritious would they be? Any recipe suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/2 "2010-08-26T22:30:06Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > tumors are just meat. Not most of the time they aren’t. Meat is muscle tissue. Most cancers don’t arise from muscle. Most tumors lack the features that makes meat and other tissues tasty, but I suspect a lot of a tumor is digestible. If it’s cooked properly and chewed well, anyway. But lots of tumors would be pretty gristly. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/3 "2010-08-26T23:53:47Z")
Yeah we normally don’t eat healthy lungs, or most of the tissues that commonly become cancerous. And then imagine eating fibrous lumpy mostly necrotic bits of lung-like tissue. Not very appetizing… ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/4 "2010-08-27T00:11:04Z")
Depends on whether you’re listening to “Heart-Shaped Box” at the moment or not. ---
**Author:** ![scarbrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@scarbrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scarbrow)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/5 "2010-08-27T00:36:43Z")
But there are other organs we eat that do get cancer. Liver and Kidney are the first that come to mind. Would a tumor in those organs taste like the original organs? Are these common enough in any animal that we eat to even find out? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/6 "2010-08-27T00:44:02Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Depends on whether you’re listening to “Heart-Shaped Box” at the moment or not. Hey, wait! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/7 "2010-08-27T00:50:30Z")
Do you guys realize the business implications here? All we have to do is buy a herd of cows, let them graze next to a nuclear power plant until they get all sorts of cancer, then we’ll be able to sell twice the valuable organ meat as a regular cow! Dollar signs flash in my eyes before me. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/8 "2010-08-27T00:52:15Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > Bacon’s taken from a pig’s ass Oh, no you di’n’t. Bacon is cut from pork bellies, which, as the name suggests, come from the pig’s abdominal area, just in front and inside the rear leg. Hams come closest to coming from the pig’s ass, essentially forming the pig’s butt cheeks. ---
**Author:** ![taffygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@taffygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taffygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/9 "2010-08-27T01:12:29Z")
Not true that we don’t eat lungs. They’re not consumed as much today (but then, neither are sweetbreads and other organs), but Americans and other groups used to eat lung. My mom says she used to love lungs cooked with (I’m not making this up) diaphragm wrapped around them. I admit it makes me queasy to contemplate eating that stuff, and she never cooked lung while I was growing up, probably because my dad thought it was so gross. Mom said he liked lung until he found out what it was. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/10 "2010-08-27T01:20:17Z")
According this well known [source](http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Potato), people are eating them all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/11 "2010-08-27T01:27:54Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > According this well known [source](http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Potato), people are eating them all the time. It’s not a tumor! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/12 "2010-08-27T01:29:11Z")
> [@taffygirl](#): > > My mom says she used to love lungs cooked with (I’m not making this up) diaphragm wrapped around them. Diaphragm is also known as flank steak. Very tasty, and if you have mexican dishes like beef fajitas, you’re probably eating diaphragm there. It’s a very well-exercised muscle. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/13 "2010-08-27T01:31:34Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > > [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > > > Depends on whether you’re listening to “Heart-Shaped Box” at the moment or not. > > Hey, wait! I’m sorry? Do you have a \*real \*complaint? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/14 "2010-08-27T01:35:53Z")
> [@scarbrow](#): > > But there are other organs we eat that do get cancer. Liver and Kidney are the first that come to mind. Would a tumor in those organs taste like the original organs? Are these common enough in any animal that we eat to even find out? Any tumor big enough to be detected by eye is most likely getting that organ condemned (and maybe other organs too). Big tumors have necrotic (dead), putrefying centers. Or they may have chunky, calcified areas (that were once dead putrefying centers). I don’t see the appeal in that. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/15 "2010-08-27T02:11:45Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Do you guys realize the business implications here? All we have to do is buy a herd of cows, let them graze next to a nuclear power plant until they get all sorts of cancer, then we’ll be able to sell twice the **valuable organ meat** as a regular cow! > > Dollar signs flash in my eyes before me. [bolding added] Valuable? Organ meat? Have you bought beef liver or kidney, lately. The cheapest steaks are about twice the price of organ meats. I think your business model needs a bit of work, here, before I invest… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/16 "2010-08-27T02:16:19Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > > [@fuzzypickles](#): > > > > Bacon’s taken from a pig’s ass > > Oh, no you di’n’t. > > Bacon is cut from pork bellies, which, as the name suggests, come from the pig’s abdominal area, just in front and inside the rear leg. > > Hams come closest to coming from the pig’s ass, essentially forming the pig’s butt cheeks. Hot dogs are made from lips and scrotums… It’s a proven fact that people will eat hot dogs, no matter what you put in them, which brings up my proposed method for disposing of nuclear waste… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/17 "2010-08-27T02:21:40Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > According this well known [source](http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Potato), people are eating them all the time. > > It’s not a tumor! Tumor, Tuber, what’s the diff? Uncylopedia, not spell checking, one wurd at a time! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/18 "2010-08-27T02:49:24Z")
I am sorry to say I darned near asked the OP’s question. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/19 "2010-08-27T03:12:26Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Diaphragm is also known as flank steak. OMG, really? I had no idea. Tasty, tasty diaphragm… 😃 > [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Hot dogs are made from lips and scrotums… Not in the US, they’re not. They’re made from all skeletal muscle, in other words, meat. [http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/hot\_dogs/index.asp](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/hot_dogs/index.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594/20 "2010-08-27T03:12:54Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I am sorry to say I darned near asked the OP’s question. Is tumor meat common in Qatar? I know dog meat is common in China, but I hadn’t heard that _ **tumor** _ was common _anywhere_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-tumors-edible/551594.md?page=2)