Incidence, survival and mortality trends of bladder cancer in Sweden 1997–2016

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate trends in bladder cancer incidence, survival and mortality in Sweden from 1997–2016.

Patients and methods: The Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer is a nation-wide quality register that started in 1997. It includes information on initial tumor characteristics and treatment; 41,097 new cases were registered up to 2016. Patients were stratified into four time periods. Deaths were monitored through the national death register. Overall and relative survival in time periods were studied with respect to differences in stage, age and gender.

Results: The number of new cases increased by 38% for men and 39% for women from 1997 to 2016. The corresponding age-standardized incidence per 100,000 was less dramatic, with increases of 6% and 21%, respectively, and the increase was most evident in the oldest age group. The survival rate was stable until 2012, but thereafter a significant improvement occurred. The survival trends in stage-groups show that this improvement is found in all categories as well as irrespective of age and gender. The mortality rate during this period was stable for women, but showed a slight decrease for men. The main limitation of this study is the use of administrative data for defining some of the endpoints.

Conclusion: The most recent Swedish bladder cancer statistics show an increased incidence, improved survival, but stable mortality.

Keywords:

• Bladder cancer
• population-based
• incidence
• survival and mortality

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Oskar Hagberg and Paul Dickman for statistical advice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

References