Bladder cancer in Canada

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Bladder cancer normally develops in the cells that form the inner lining of the bladder. Changes in bladder cells can lead to conditions such as urinary tract infections or benign tumours (non-cancerous), but can also lead to cancer.

The data^{Footnote 1},^{Footnote 2},^{Footnote 3}

• Bladder cancer is the 5^th most common cancer in Canada
• It is the 4^th most common cancer among men and the 10^th most common cancer among women
• 1 in 22 men will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in their lifetime
• 1 in 75 women will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in their lifetime
• About 12,200 Canadians will have been diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2020
• More than 90% of bladder cancer cases occur in adults aged 50+

Risk factors include^{Footnote a}

• Smoking tobacco
• Aging
• Sex
• Racial or cultural background
• Occupational exposures (e.g. rubber industry, paint industry)
• Arsenic in contaminated drinking water^{Footnote b}
• Some chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy

Detection and survival^{Footnote 2},^{Footnote 4}

• 54% of bladder cancer cases are diagnosed at Stage 0
• The probability of surviving bladder cancer at least five years after diagnosis is about 75% in Canada

Notes:

In situ bladder cancers are included because it is difficult to identify early invasion in pathology reports and because of the high number of in situ tumours that reoccur or progress into invasive cancer^{Footnote 5}.

Statistics for lifetime probability, age and survival exclude Quebec and include individuals aged 15 to 99 years at diagnosis. Stage statistics exclude British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick and include individuals aged 18 to 79 years at diagnosis. Unless specified, statistics include all stages combined. 

Learn more about bladder cancer:

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health, 2020 | Cat.: HP35-140/2020E-PDF | ISBN: 978-0-660-35799-7 | Pub.: 200159