When you learn you have bladder cancer, it’s only natural to ask: "Can I survive this, for how long, and can I expect to be cured?"
You may have searched online for survival rate information. These numbers are averages of large groups of people and provide a "big-picture" look at what you’re facing.
You and your health care providers don’t have crystal balls – and you weren’t born with an expiration date, either. Survival rates can give you a general estimate based on other people’s experiences, but they can’t predict what will happen to you since many things, like your age and overall health, come into play.
How Are Bladder Cancer Survival Rates Calculated?
An overall survival rate is reported in percentages and includes people of all ages and health conditions who have been diagnosed with a specific kind of cancer. It includes people whose cancers were caught very early and those that were not.
Researchers get these numbers from large databases such as the National Cancer Institute’s SEER registry (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program) which tracks every new cancer case in many parts of the United States, says Daniel Spratt, MD, a professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
What is a five-year relative survival rate?
Five years is a typical way to measure cancer survival.
"When people look up 'five-year survival,' they’re seeing a snapshot of how many people are still alive five years after their cancer was diagnosed," Spratt says.
"For bladder cancer, the overall five-year relative survival is about 79%, meaning that, on average, 79 out of 100 people are alive five years after their diagnosis when you subtract out deaths from other causes," he says.
It’s important to learn what five-year survival rates don’t mean, too.
It doesn’t mean you have five years to live or that you’ll be cancer-free after that time. It also doesn’t mean it can’t come back even if you beat it. Some cancers return many years later; other cancers pose a small risk of recurring.
You can also find survival rates based on age, stage (how much your cancer has spread), gender, and race or ethnicity.
Things That Can Affect Bladder Cancer Survival Rates
Bladder cancer usually starts in the urothelial cells, which line the inside of the bladder and urinary tract, says Ian Udell, MD, a urologic surgeon at the Beacon Clinic in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This is by far the most common type of bladder cancer.
"These same cells are found in other parts of the urinary tract, including the ureters and the kidneys, so when we talk about urothelial carcinoma (UC), we're often referring to a family of cancers that can occur anywhere along this lining," he says.
Your prognosis (how your disease will likely progress) depends on several things, including how deep it’s growing into the bladder and its grade.
Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Confined to the bladder lining. Most common and generally has a good prognosis when it’s closely watched. It rarely progresses to invade the muscle but needs long-term follow-up.
Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Has grown into the muscular wall of the bladder. This type is more aggressive and typically requires more extensive treatment.
Cancer grade. High-grade tumor cells look very different from regular bladder cells under the microscope and grow faster. Low-grade ones look more like normal cells and are slower growers.
Type of bladder cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma are less common but tend to be more aggressive.
Carcinoma in situ (CIS). This is a flat, high-grade cancer that stays on the surface but has a high risk of progressing.
Bladder Cancer Survival Rates by Age
Advancing age impacts survival rates.
Age 5-Year Survival Rate Percentage
Ages <15 89.8
Ages 15-39 89.4
Ages 40-64 82.4
Ages 65-74 80.9
Ages 75+ 74.1
Lee Richstone, MD, chair of urology at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, says frailty, obesity, and lifestyle choices come into play, too.
Age matters, but it’s not always an apples-to-apples comparison, he explains. "You could have a 75-year-old who plays tennis six times a week, or you could have a 75-year-old who has multiple comorbid conditions, a sedentary lifestyle, who is an ongoing smoker."
Bladder Cancer Five-Year Relative Survival Rates
The National Cancer Institute's SEER registry groups survival rates for bladder cancer based on how much the cancer has spread. The five-year relative survival rates are:
- In situ: Non-invasive, limited to the bladder lining – 97.9%
- Localized: Cancer is only in the bladder – 72.6%
- Regional: Cancer has spread outside of the bladder to nearby lymph nodes or organs – 40.5%
- Distant: Cancer has spread outside of the bladder to a distant region of the body – 9.1%
Understanding Your Prognosis
"It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed, scared, or confused. But each patient's journey is unique – and while statistics help guide treatment decisions, they don't define your future," Udell says.
Your care team will meet with you to explain your outlook and go over treatment options based on the stage and grade, your overall health, and your wishes.
"There are excellent treatments for bladder cancer," Richstone says. These include:
- Chemotherapy: This cancer is very "chemo-sensitive," so it’s very effective.
- Surgery and radiation: These two treatments work well even for high-stage and high-grade cancers.
There’s exciting data about treatments that use your own immune system to fight bladder cancer that could improve these survival rates even more, he says.
"Even with current immunotherapy – let alone what we are going to see in the next three, four, or five years – there’s healthy room for optimism with the evolution of our treatments," he says. "That’s regardless of the stage and grade of your disease."
"Your urologist should take time to understand your personal goals as well as your support system and what matters most to you, to tailor care that truly fits your life," Udell says.
He adds, "Support groups, mental health professionals, nurse navigators, and patient advocates can all play a part in helping you make sense of the diagnosis and find a path forward. Managing bladder cancer takes a dedicated group of providers on your team."
Ask your care team about in-person support groups in your area or suggestions for virtual groups.
Some helpful websites for information and support include:
- Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN)
- CancerCare
- American Cancer Society
Takeaways
Survival rates are based on large groups of people with bladder cancer and can’t predict what will happen to you.
The stage and grade of your cancer and other things – like your overall health – will guide you and your health care team to the right treatments for you.
Bladder cancer can be successfully treated, and new therapies are reasons to be even more optimistic.
