Major Lymph Node Chains of Head

Illustration of the regional lymph nodes of the head and the neck.

Oral Cavity Internal jugular (jugulodigastric, jugulo-omohyoid, upper deep cervical, lower deep cervical); parotid (preauricular, infraparotid, subparotid, posterior auricular); submandibular (submaxillary); submental; cervical, NOS

Pharynx (nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx)
Internal jugular (jugulodigastric, jugulo-omohyoid, upper deep cervical, lower deep cervical); submandibular (submaxillary); submental; retropharyngeal; cervical, NOS

Larynx Internal jugular (jugulodigastric, jugulo-omohyoid, upper deep cervical, lower deep cervical); anterior cervical (prelaryngeal, pretracheal, paratracheal, lateral tracheal {recurrent laryngeal}); submandibular (submaxillary); submental; cervical, NOS

Maxillary Sinus Internal jugular (jugulodigastric, jugulo-omohyoid, upper deep cervical, lower deep cervical); submandibular (submaxillary); submental; retropharyngeal; cervical, NOS

Salivary Glands Parotid; submandibular (submaxillary); submental; deep cervical; cervical, NOS

Thyroid Gland Jugular (upper, middle, lower); pretracheal (delphian); lateral tracheal; tracheoesophageal (posterior mediastinal); cervical, NOS; retropharyngeal; upper anterior mediastinal

Suggested Citation

SEER Training Modules: Major Lymph Node Chains of Head. U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Cited 24 December 2025. Available from: https://training.seer.cancer.gov.