The American Cancer Society estimates that the 2009 incidence of bladder cancer in the United States will be approximately 70,980. As of 2006, SEER estimated the prevalence of the disease to be 527,496 in the U.S.
The global prevalence of bladder cancer is estimated at 2.7 million.
Risk factors for bladder cancer include smoking and exposure to certain industrial chemicals. Symptoms may include hematuria, painful or burning urination without evidence of a UTI, or abdominal pain. If detected early, bladder cancer is a managable disease.
The initial treatment of this cancer is complete surgical removal of the tumor (TURBT). However, bladder cancer is a highly recurrent disease with approximately 80% of patients recurring within 5 years, and a majority of these patients recur within 2 years.
Because bladder cancer patients have a high risk of recurrence, bladder cancer is the most expensive cancer to treat on a per patient lifetime basis. (Botteman et al., Pharmacoeconomics, 2003).
For additional information on bladder cancer, please refer to the following links:
The American Urological Association (AUA)
www.AUAnet.org
The Bladder Cancer Advisory Network (BCAN)
www.bcan.org
American Bladder Cancer Society (ABLCS)
www.bladdercancersupport.org
Bladder Cancer Web Café
www.blcwebcafe.com
National Cancer Institute
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/bladder