Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is often used for cancer arising in the lining of the urinary tract. This is the reason why cancer of the renal pelvis, ureter and urethra are essentially the same disease, namely urothelial cancer. Bladder cancer can also arise in other cells in the bladder, and the cancer will then have other biological characteristics.
Bladder and urothelial cancer is the sixth largest form of cancer among men in Norway in 2023. The incidence rate is significantly higher for men than for women. Bladder and urethral cancer accounts for the largest proportion of patients diagnosed with bladder and urothelial cancer. In the period 1990–2023, the incidence of renal pelvis and ureteral cancer has remained relatively stable for both sexes. The incidence is somewhat higher for men than for women in the same time period.
In recent years, there have been more than 1,000 cases annually among men, while among women there are 400-500 a year who are affected. In 2023, 1351 men and 466 women were diagnosed with bladder cancer.
Risk Factors
The causes are not fully understood, neither for the development of bladder cancer nor for the significant gender differences.
However, known risk factors include smoking, radiation, and chronic infections in the bladder lining. There is also considerable evidence suggesting that diet, alcohol, physical activity, obesity, diabetes, and other environmental factors may contribute.
New cases
A total of 1817 people in Norway got bladder cancer in 2023. Bladder cancer is the sixth largest form of cancer among men in Norway. The rate, the number of cases per 100,000 person-years, is 45,7 for men and 14,0 for women in 2023.
Age distribution
The median age for bladder cancer is 74 years, meaning that half of all those diagnosed are over 74 years old. The highest incidence is also among people in their 70s.
Age-specific incidence rate for bladder and urethral cancer (per 100,000 person-years) for women and men divided into different age groups (1990–2023). Fig. 2.2 from Annual report from the Norwegian Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Registry 2023.
The age-specific incidence of bladder and urethral cancer is more than 3 times higher for men than for women in all age groups. The incidence is highest for both sexes in the 75+ age group, and it is also increasing for both sexes in this age group. In the younger age groups, the incidence is decreasing for men, while it has remained more stable for women in the same period and is only decreasing in the youngest age group (30–54 years).
Survival
Bladder cancer is one of the few types of cancer where a higher proportion of male patients survive the disease compared to female patients.
The relative survival rate is 80,7 percent for men and 74 percent for women. The survival rate for patients with distant spread of cancer is significantly lower, at 15 percent for men and 10,4 percent for women.
Relative survival by age, 2019-2023. From figure 8.2-S in Cancer in Norway 2023.
Relative survival by age, 2019-2023. From figure 8.2-S in Cancer in Norway 2023
Bladder Cancer Survivors
As of December 31, 2023, there were 16.941 people in Norway who had been diagnosed with bladder cancer at some point in their medical history - known as prevalence. Of these, 4967 were diagnosed less than five years ago, and 5552 are long-term survivors; individuals who were diagnosed more than 10 years ago.
In the past 10 years, there have been nearly 4000 more bladder cancer survivors.
Number of deaths
273 men and 133 women died of bladder cancer in 2022.
Probabilities of death from various causes, for patients diagnosed with bladder cancer, divided by number of years since diagnosis and pT stage. Fig. 2.15 from Annual report from the Norwegian Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Registry 2023.
The figure shows the probability of dying from bladder cancer, other cancers, or other causes distributed by time (0–5 years) since diagnosis and pT stage. For those with tumors staged pT1 and pT2-4, the probability of dying from bladder cancer is more likely than the probability of dying from other cancers or other causes, with overall mortality rates of 20% and 50% within two years, respectively.
The risk further increases each year for tumors staged pT2-4, especially up to two years. The high mortality associated with pT1 may be due to muscle infiltration before neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as 10-15% already have lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis.
Trends Over Time
The rates of bladder cancer have been relatively stable or slightly increasing in recent years. However, because the population is growing and aging, the number of cases is rising.
Twenty years ago, there were around 1300 cases of bladder cancer each year, whereas now there are over 1800. The most significant increase in the number of cases has been among men.
The difference in bladder cancer survival rates has decreased over the last 40 years. In the late 1970s, 60 percent of men survived bladder cancer, while this was true for about half of the women.
The figure shows trends in incidence (dark blue), mortality (light blue) and 5-year relative survival (green) of bladder cancer for men in the period 1965-2023. From figure 9.1-S in Cancer in Norway 2023
The figure shows trends in incidence (red), mortality (pink) and 5-year relative survival (brown) of bladder cancer for women in the period 1965-2023. From figure 9.1-S in Cancer in Norway 2023
The Norwegian Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Registry
The Bladder Cancer Registry received national status in 2023 and has produced an annual report in 2024 based on generic data from the Cancer Registry's foundational database.
The development of specific forms for bladder and urothelial cancer will ultimately provide a more detailed description of the assessment and treatment of these cancers, as well as adherence to the National treatment guidelines.
The Cancer Registry is responsible for data processing and works collaboratively with the professional community to develop the registry. The purpose of the quality registry is to help strengthen the quality of healthcare provided to patients with bladder and urothelial cancer.
Read more about the Norwegian Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Registry
In the long term, the Bladder registry aims to collect data on assessment and treatment of this patient group. The intention is to use the data from the registry to illustrate practices at hospitals, which can assist in evaluating practices at individual hospitals and for the patient group as a whole.
Download the annual reports from the Norwegian Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Registry (Norwegian only)
Steps you can take to reduce your risk of bladder cancer
- Be smoke-free.
- Follow safety guidelines when handling hazardous substances at work, such as paint, printing inks, metal and machine work, or diesel and traffic pollution.
- Avoid diesel exhaust/traffic pollution, if possible.
- Drink plenty of water and maintain a healthy and varied diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Questions about cancer
The Cancer Registry is a research institution. Therefore, our experts do not answer questions about diagnosis, examination, treatment, or follow-up from patients or their relatives.
Questions should be directed to your general practitioner, the treating institution, or the Norwegian Cancer Society's counseling service at phone: 21 49 49 21.
Useful links
Read about bladder cancer at helsenorge.no
About bladder cancer at kreftforeningen.no
National treatment guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with bladder cancer