Bladder Cancer

This year, an estimated 72,570 adults (54,610 men and 17,960 women) will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in the United States. It is estimated that 15,210 deaths (10,820 men and 4,390 women) from this disease will occur this year. Among men, bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the eighth most common cause of cancer death.

The five-year survival rate is the percentage of people who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases. This rate depends on many factors, including the stage of bladder cancer that is diagnosed. For people with non-muscle-invasive/superficial urothelial carcinoma, the five-year survival rate is 96%. About half of people are diagnosed with this stage. If the tumor is invasive but has not yet spread outside the bladder, the five-year survival rate is 70%. If the cancer extends through the bladder to the surrounding tissue or has spread to adjacent lymph nodes or nearby organs, the five-year survival rate is 33%. If the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the five-year survival rate is 6%.

Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of people with this type of cancer in the United States each year, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with bladder cancer. Because the survival statistics are measured in five-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer. Learn more about understanding statistics.

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2013.