Last updated: 11/24/2009

Bladder cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed malignancy in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, about 57,400 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2003.

Industrialized countries such...

as the United States, Canada, France, Denmark, Italy, and Spain have the highest incidence rates for bladder cancer. Rates are lower in England, Scotland, and Eastern Europe. The lowest rates occur in Asia and South America.

Smoking is a major risk factor for bladder cancer; it increases one's risk by two to five times and accounts for approximately 50% of bladder cancers found in men and 30% found in women. If cigarette smokers quit, their risk declines in two to four years. Exposure to a variety of industrial chemicals also increases the risk of developing this disease. Occupational exposures may account for approximately 25% of all urinary bladder cancers.

The incidence of bladder cancer in the white population is almost twice that of the black population, and is more than 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed in men than women. For other ethnic and racial groups in the United States, the incidence of bladder cancer falls between that of whites and blacks.

There is a greater incidence of bladder cancer with advancing age. Of newly diagnosed cases in both men and women, approximately 80% occur in people aged 60 years and older.