Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas en estadio oculto
Occult stage non-small cell lung cancer (uh-KULT sel lung KAN-ser)
Cancer cells are found in sputum (mucus coughed up from the lungs), but no tumor can be found in the lung by imaging or bronchoscopy, or the primary tumor is too small to be assessed.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.