Based on the above results, an alternative staging system of four groups termed TNM-8T was generated to predict thyroid CSS: TNM-8T stage 1 (patients with TNM-8 stage I and WT TERT), TNM-8T stage 2 (patients with TNM-8 stage II and WT TERT), TNM-8T stage 3 (patients with TNM-8 stage III/IV and WT TERT or with TNM-8 stage I and mutant TERT), and TNM-8T stage 4 (patients with TNM-8 stage II or III/IV and mutant TERT). The gene discussed is TERT; the disease is thyroiditis.