Lymph node size

Hi AnnaS

Thank you for getting in touch with us. My name is Lynsay and I am one of the information nurses with Macmillan Cancer Support. I hope you are finding the online community to be a helpful and supportive environment.

Lymph nodes can vary in size depending on where in the body they are. Speaking very generally aortocaval nodes are considered normal if they measure under or up to 1 cm and above 1cm is considered enlarged (although I did look at a number of different sources and this wasn’t always the size advised).

The important factor relating to enlarged lymph nodes is identifying what the cause may be and there can be a number of reasons for lymph nodes to enlarge. Sometimes it be difficult to determine the cause based on the size of the lymph node alone.

Depending on scan results sometime enlarged lymph nodes are monitored to see if they will return to normal size over time. Another possible approach to try and determine what may be causing lymph nodes to enlarge is having a PET scan. This scan rather than showing the size the of the nodes shows the activity in the cells in this area. This can sometimes give more information about the cause of the change in the size of lymph nodes.

If it is yourself that has had a result showing an enlarged lymph node your hospital team are best placed to be able to explain and advise on what this may mean.

I hope this is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch with us if you have further questions.

All the best,

Lynsay

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

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