Where Are The Lymph Nodes Located?

When you consider that the adult human body has anywhere from 300 to 700 lymph nodes, the better question might not be where ARE they located, but where AREN'T they located.

Despite that, in this entry we'll cover where the lymph nodes are found in the body. You can learn more about the function of the lymph nodes by clicking on the following link, Organs of the Immune System: Lymph Nodes.

Familiar Lymph Node Clusters

Lymph nodes are found in clusters, and names are given to those clusters. Some of the most commonly used lymph node clusters when discussing lymphoma are as follows:

• Axillary lymph nodes are found in the armpits
• Cervical lymph nodes are found in neck
• Femoral lymph nodes are found in the upper inner thigh
• Hilar lymph nodes are found near the lungs (bronchopulmanary)
• Inguinal lymph nodes are found in groin
• Mediastinal lymph nodes are found in the upper body behind the sternum and between the pleural sacs (lung sacs)
• Mesentery lymph nodes are found in in the lower body (abdomen) below the rib cage
• Supraclavicular lymph nodes are found in the collar bone

Other Lymph Node Clusters

These aren't the only places we have lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are also located in these following places throughout our bodies:

• We also have lymph nodes at the base of the skull.
• At the corner of our jaw
• All throughout our neck
• Under our chin
• Behind and in front of our ears
• Down each side of the neck
• Down the back sides of the neck
• All along the trachea
• In our arms past our elbow
• In our legs down to the knee

All of them are connected by the lymph system: a massive system of vessels that carry lymph throughout the body. Lymph nodes are part of the immune system; they are considered secondary lymphoid organs, and their average size is about 1 cm.

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