How common is bladder cancer?

Bladder cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the UK.
In 2006 more than 10,200 people were diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK, that’s around 28 people every day.
There are more than twice as many cases of bladder cancer in men than in women.
In the UK, bladder cancer is the eleventh most common cancer in women, with almost 3,000 new cases each year.
Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in UK men, with around 7,300 new cases each year.
Eight in 10 cases of bladder cancer occur in people over the age of 65.
Worldwide, an estimated 356,600 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed each year.
Read more in-depth UK bladder cancer incidence statistics.

How many people survive bladder cancer?Bladder cancer survival rates have improved in the last 30 years. Around 66% of men and 57% of women with bladder cancer survive the disease for at least five years after diagnosis.
Bladder cancer survival rates are higher for patients diagnosed at a younger age.
Read more in-depth UK bladder cancer survival statistics.

How many people die from bladder cancer?Bladder cancer is the eighth most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
Bladder cancer is responsible for the deaths of 4,900 people each year in the UK, that is around 95 people every week.
Almost nine in ten deaths from bladder cancer are in people over the age of 65.
The bladder cancer death rate in men has decreased by almost 30% in the last fifteen years.
Read more in-depth UK bladder cancer mortality statistics.


What are the main causes of bladder cancer?
Smoking cigarettes is the major preventable risk factor for bladder cancer.
Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during childhood may increase the risk of bladder cancer.
The risk of getting bladder cancer increases with age.
It is estimated that between 5 and 10% of male bladder cancer cases in Europe are caused by occupational exposure to certain chemicals - this proportion may be higher in countries with less regulated industrial processes.
People with a first-degree relative who has been diagnosed with bladder cancer have a higher risk of developing the disease.
High bladder cancer incidence rates in parts of Africa and the Middle East are caused by urinary schistomosiasis, a parasitic disease contracted from infected water which is endemic in these areas.