Getting diagnosed with thyroid cancer
Most people start by seeing their GP. Your GP can do some tests to help them decide whether you need to see a specialist. Your GP might:
feel around your neck and do a general examination of your body
arrange blood tests to assess how well your thyroid gland is working
Blood tests won’t find or diagnose thyroid cancer. But they will help to show how well your thyroid gland is working. Your doctor might organise tests to check levels of:
thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
T3 and T4 hormones
Read more about what these thyroid tests are looking at
You might also have blood tests to check your full blood counts, and your liver and kidney function.
Find out more general information about blood tests
If your GP thinks there’s any chance your symptoms could be due to thyroid cancer, you will have further tests at the hospital. These might include:
an of your neck
taking a sample of from your thyroid gland ()
an
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An ultrasound scan uses high frequency sound waves to create a picture of a part of the body. The ultrasound scanner has a microphone that gives off sound waves.
The sound waves bounce off the inside your body, and the microphone picks them up. The microphone links to a computer that turns the sound waves into a picture on the screen.
Your doctor uses the scan to:
look at your thyroid and neck to see if there are lots of lumps or just one
see if the lumps are solid or filled with fluid (cysts)
check nearby
A sonographer usually does the ultrasound scan in the hospital x-ray department. The results help the doctors decide whether they need to take a sample of tissue (biopsy).
Find out more about having an ultrasound scan
This is also called fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). For this test your doctor takes a small sample of cells from a lump (nodule) in your thyroid gland.
The doctor puts a small needle into the lump or swelling. They might use an ultrasound scan to find the right place to take the sample.
After the FNA they send the sample to the laboratory for testing. A specialist doctor called a reviews it.
Read more about having a fine needle aspiration
The pathologist examines the appearance of the cells in the sample. They then group (classify) the results into 1 of 5 categories. Based on the results, you might need to repeat the FNA or have a core needle biopsy. A core needle biopsy uses a thicker needle than a FNA. This means they can remove a larger sample of .
Or you might need a diagnostic hemithyroidectomy. This is a surgery which removes:
half of your thyroid gland (one lobe)
the bridge of thyroid tissue connecting the 2 thyroid lobes (the isthmus)
There are 5 categories of results:
This means there were not enough cells to say what is causing the lump or swelling. You usually need to have:
another FNA or a core biopsy
a diagnostic hemithyroidectomy if the repeat biopsy is still Thy 1
This means the pathologist can only see non cancerous (benign) cells. Your doctor might discharge you. Or they might want to repeat the ultrasound with or without a core needle biopsy or repeat FNA.
This means the pathologist can see some abnormal cells and they can’t be sure that they aren't cancer. You usually need to have:
another FNA or core biopsy
a diagnostic hemithyroidectomy or active monitoring if the repeat biopsy is still Thy 3
This means the pathologist can see cells that could be type of thyroid cancer called follicular thyroid cancer. But they cannot tell for certain if it is cancer or not.
You usually need to have a diagnostic hemithyroidectomy.
This means the pathologist can see abnormal cells and the lump or swelling is likely to be cancerous. You might have:
a diagnostic hemithyroidectomy
surgery to remove the whole thyroid gland (total thyroidectomy)
This means the pathologist can see abnormal cells and the lump or swelling is almost certainly cancerous. You usually have surgery to remove part or all of your thyroid gland.
Read about surgery to remove part of your thyroid gland
Your doctor might do tests on your thyroid cancer cells, but this is not routine practice. These are to look for changes in certain in the cancer cells.
These tests are also called molecular testing or molecular analysis.
Your doctor might do these tests:
to help diagnose your cancer if the biopsy results are unclear - certain gene changes make a cancer diagnosis more likely
to look for certain gene changes that might help the doctor choose targeted treatments
if they suspect you might have a rare type of thyroid cancer (anaplastic thyroid cancer) or lymphoma
The doctor can do genetic tests on tissue samples from your biopsy or surgery.
A CT scan is a test that uses and a computer to create detailed pictures of the inside of your body. It takes pictures from different angles. The computer puts them together to make a 3 dimensional (3D) image.
You might have a CT scan to find out how big the cancer is, and whether it has spread.
Read more about having a CT scan
MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. An MRI is a type of scan that creates pictures using magnetism and radio waves. It produces pictures from angles all around the body and shows up soft tissues very clearly.
You might have a MRI scan to find out how big the cancer is, and whether it has spread.
In some situations, your doctor may suggest an MRI if a CT scan hasn't been able to give all the information they need. You might have an injection of a special dye (contrast medium) before the scan to help make the pictures clearer.
The tests you have helps your doctor find out if you have thyroid cancer. They can find out what type it is and whether it has spread (the stage).
Read about the types and stages of thyroid cancer
This is important because doctors recommend your treatment according to the type and stage of the cancer.
Find out about the treatment options for thyroid cancer
Coping with a diagnosis of thyroid cancer can be difficult. There is help and support available to you and your family.
Last reviewed: 11 Sept 2026
Next review due: 11 Sept 2029
Thyroid cancer is when abnormal cells in the thyroid gland start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.
The symptoms of thyroid cancer include a lump in your neck, a hoarse voice, a sore throat or difficulty in swallowing.
The type of thyroid cancer refers to the type of cell the cancer started in. The stage of a cancer tells you its size and whether it has spread.
The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland that makes and releases hormones. It’s found at the front of your neck in the lowest part.
