Organ
Axillary lymph nodes
Lymph filtering stations around the armpit
High-yield
Surgical levels use pectoralis minor as a landmark: level I lateral/inferior, level II behind it, and level III medial/superior.
Overview
These nodes receive lymph from the arm, breast and nearby body wall. Their anatomical groups have overlapping drainage routes, with outflow toward apical nodes and the subclavian lymphatic trunk.
Reference facts
- Location
- Within axillary fat, around regional vessels and toward the axillary apex
- Parts
- Pectoral, subscapular, humeral, central and apical groups; surgical levels I-III use a different grouping
- Drains from
- Most of the upper limb, breast, thoracic wall and adjacent upper abdominal wall
- Venous/Lymphatic drainage
- Apical efferent vessels form the subclavian trunk; it may join a major lymphatic duct or enter the veins directly near the neck root
- Function
- Expose incoming lymph to immune cells and help filter material from regional tissues
Clinical correlation
Removing axillary nodes can impair lymph drainage and cause arm swelling. Sentinel node biopsy samples the earliest draining node or nodes for cancer staging; removing fewer nodes generally reduces complication risk, but does not eliminate it.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the axillary lymph nodes located?
Within axillary fat, around regional vessels and toward the axillary apex.
What do the axillary lymph nodes do?
Expose incoming lymph to immune cells and help filter material from regional tissues.
What are the parts of the axillary lymph nodes?
Pectoral, subscapular, humeral, central and apical groups; surgical levels I-III use a different grouping.
How do the axillary lymph nodes drain?
Apical efferent vessels form the subclavian trunk; it may join a major lymphatic duct or enter the veins directly near the neck root.