Stages and types of thyroid cancer
The stage of a cancer tells you about its size and whether it has spread. Doctors use the number staging system and the TNM staging system for thyroid cancer.
Find out more about the TNM staging system for thyroid cancer
There are different types of thyroid cancer. The number staging system usually groups thyroid cancers into 4 groups, from stage 1 to 4.
The number staging system for anaplastic thyroid cancer is different to the staging system for other types of thyroid cancer. All anaplastic thyroid cancers are considered to be stage 4 when they are diagnosed. The stage is further divided into 3 groups - 4A, 4B and 4C.
Read about staging other types of thyroid cancer
Stage 4A means the cancer:
is completely inside the thyroid gland and is any size
hasn't spread to nearby or to other parts of the body.
In the TNM staging system this is the same as T1 to T3a, N0, M0.
Stage 4B means different things. It can mean your cancer:
is completely inside the thyroid gland and is any size
has spread to nearby lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body
In TNM staging this is the same as T1-3a, N1a, M0.
Or it can mean your cancer:
has grown outside the thyroid into the surrounding muscles, to soft tissues in the neck such as the voice box or wind pipe (trachea), or to the nerve to the voice box, or nearby main blood vessels
may or may not have spread to the nearby lymph nodes, but hasn't spread to other parts of the body
In TNM staging this is the same as T3b-T4, N0 or N1a, M0.
Stage 4C means your cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as distant lymph nodes, the lungs or bones.
In TNM staging this is the same as any T, any N, M1.
The stage of your cancer helps your doctor to decide which treatment you need. Treatment also depends on:
your type of cancer (the type of cells the cancer started in)
where the cancer is
other health conditions that you have
Last reviewed: 03 Aug 2023
Next review due: 03 Aug 2026
TNM staging shows the size of your cancer (T), whether it has spread to lymph nodes (N) and whether it has spread to other parts of your body (M).
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.
Possible treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, targeted drugs and chemotherapy. What treatment you have depends on your type and stage of thyroid cancer.
Survival for thyroid cancer depends upon the type and stage of your thyroid cancer. Survival is generally very good for papillary and follicular thyroid cancers.
Thyroid cancer is when abnormal cells in the thyroid gland start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.
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.
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