Unilateral lower extremity swelling as a rare presentation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Lower extremity oedema is frequently encountered in clinical practice. The challenge is to correctly identify the aetiology of oedema, and hence correctly manage the cause. Oedema can be classified as venous oedema and lymphoedema. Lymphoedema of the lower extremities is usually bilateral. Unilateral leg lymphoedema may occur secondary to radiation, surgery, compression by a tumour or early filariasis infection. Unilateral lower extremity lymphoedema has been reported as a rare initial presentation for lymphoma, mostly in women, usually without B-symptoms, and often with inguinal lymphadenopathies or abdominal masses. In this paper, we report a rare case of unilateral lower extremity oedema in a healthy male presenting to the outpatient clinic following trauma; further work-up revealed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with bulky inguinal lymphadenopathy compressing the iliac veins.