The Facts About Bladder Cancer

• Bladder cancer is not a rare cancer
• It is one of the ten most common cancers in the UK
• Around 21,000* people in the UK are diagnosed each year – that's over 60 people every day (500,000 worldwide) 
• Bladder cancer accounts for 3% of all new cancer cases
• Over 100,000 people are living with bladder cancer in the UK
• Invasive bladder cancer has a high mortality rate – around 50%
• Diagnosis can often be late – around 25% of all cases are diagnosed at a late stage, particularly in women
• It affects all ages, both men and women, with almost three quarters of cases occuring in men
• Bladder cancer has the highest recurrence rate of any known cancer – up to 80%
• It is the only top 10 cancer where rates of prognosis are not improving
• It is one of the most expensive cancers for the NHS to treat
• Research into bladder cancer has been underfunded for decades – it receives less than 1% of dedicated UK cancer research funding

There are over 200 different types of cancer, with bladder cancer ranking among the 10 most common in the UK for both men and women. Despite its prevalence, bladder cancer is often overlooked, and public awareness remains limited. It is not a rare cancer, yet it continues to be a low priority on the public health agenda. ABC UK is committed to changing this, aiming to increase understanding of bladder cancer and its impact.

Bladder cancer has often been referred to as the ‘Cinderella’ of urological cancers, due to historically low levels of research funding and public attention, despite its high incidence, significant treatment costs, and the substantial toll it takes on patients' quality of life.

Despite its high rate of incidence, recurrence, and mortality, bladder cancer has been underfunded in research compared to other, less common cancers. As a result, those cancers have seen considerable improvements in patient outcomes. Bladder cancer patients deserve the same level of support, with access to better treatments and innovative new drugs.

Research into bladder cancer has lagged behind more high-profile cancers, leading to limited advancements in treatments or survival rates over the past 40 years. However, early diagnosis can significantly improve patient outcomes – up to an 80% survival rate if caught early. Raising awareness among the public and GPs about the symptoms and the need for earlier intervention is one of our key goals.

Bladder cancer is not just a disease of older individuals – young people can also be affected. While smoking is a major risk factor, in over 50% of cases, the cause remains unknown.

The 20 most common cancers UK 2018 (CRUK)

The chart below gives CRUK incidence statistics for 2016-2018.  These CRUK incidence figures do not currently include the earliest stage cases of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, those defined in histology with Ta or CIS.  ABC UK do include these figures, which means that incidence for UK bladder cancer is over 23,000 annually and bladder cancer is in reality higher on this list.