Bladder cancer mortality statistics

Deaths

Deaths from bladder cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Percentage of all deaths

Percentage bladder cancer contributes to total cancer deaths, 2017-2019, UK.

 

Age

Peak mortality rate for bladder cancer, 2017-2019, UK

Trend over time

Change in bladder cancer mortality rates since the early 1970s, UK

Bladder cancer is the 9th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 3% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019).[1-4]

In females in the UK, bladder cancer is the 14th most common cause of cancer death (2% of all female cancer deaths). In males in the UK, it is the 7th most common cause of cancer death (4% of all male cancer deaths).

32% of bladder cancer deaths in the UK are in females, and 68% are in males (2017-2019).

Bladder cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) in the UK are significantly lower in females than in males (2017-2019).

Bladder cancer mortality rates (European age-standardised Open a glossary item (AS) rates) for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Scotland, and similar to the UK average in all other UK constituent countries.

For bladder cancer, mortality differences between countries largely reflect differences in incidence.

Bladder Cancer (C67), Annual Average Number of Deaths, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Deaths 1,460 171 86 47 1,763
Crude Rate 5.2 6.1 5.4 4.9 5.2
AS Rate 4.8 5.7 4.6 5.1 4.9
AS Rate - 95% LCL 4.7 5.2 4.0 4.2 4.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 4.9 6.2 5.2 5.9 5.0
Male Deaths 3,178 323 203 88 3,792
Crude Rate 11.5 12.2 13.1 9.5 11.6
AS Rate 14.3 15.0 14.4 13.6 14.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 14.0 14.0 13.3 12.0 14.1
AS Rate - 95% UCL 14.6 15.9 15.5 15.3 14.6
Persons Deaths 4,638 494 289 134 5,555
Crude Rate 8.3 9.1 9.2 7.1 8.4
AS Rate 8.7 9.5 8.8 8.5 8.8
AS Rate - 95% LCL 8.6 9.0 8.2 7.7 8.7
AS Rate - 95% UCL 8.9 10.0 9.3 9.4 8.9

95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits around the AS Rate Open a glossary item

See also

Bladder cancer incidence statistics by sex and UK region

Bladder cancer survival statistics

Cancer mortality statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, C67.

Last reviewed:

Bladder cancer mortality is strongly related to age, with the highest mortality rates being in older people. In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year around 7 in 10 deaths (71%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4] This largely reflects higher incidence and lower survival for bladder cancer in older people.

Age-specific mortality rates rise steadily from around age 40-44 and more steeply (more so in males) from around age 75-79. The highest rates are in the 90+ age group for both females and males. Mortality rates are significantly lower in females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 90+, when the age-specific mortality rate is 3.6 times lower in females than males.

Bladder Cancer (C67), Average Number of Deaths per Year and Age-Specific Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 2017-2019

See also

Bladder cancer incidence statistics by age

Bladder cancer survival statistics by age

Cancer mortality statistics by age

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C67.

Last reviewed:

Bladder cancer European age-standardised age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 24% in the UK between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The decrease was larger in males than in females.

For females, bladder cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 16% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019. For males, bladder cancer AS mortality rates in the UK decreased by 35% between 1971-1973 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), bladder cancer AS mortality rates for females and males combined decreased by 7%. In females AS mortality rates decreased by 8%, and in males rates decreased by 10%.

Bladder Cancer (C67), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, UK, 1971-2019

For most cancer types, mortality trends largely reflect incidence and survival trends. For example, rising mortality may reflect rising incidence and stable survival, while falling mortality may reflect rising incidence and rising survival.

Bladder cancer mortality rates have varied between age groups in females in the UK since the early 1970s.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have remained stable, in 50-59s have decreased by 46%, in 60-69s have decreased by 44%, in 70-79s have decreased by 33% and in 80+s have increased by 20%.

Bladder Cancer (C67), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Female Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

Bladder cancer mortality rates have decreased overall in some broad age groups in males in the UK since the early 1970s, but have remained stable in others.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have remained stable, in 25-49s have decreased by 62%, in 50-59s have decreased by 70%, in 60-69s have decreased by 64%, in 70-79s have decreased by 52% and in 80+s have remained stable.

Bladder Cancer (C67), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates per 100,000 Male Population, By Age, UK, 1971-2019

See also

Bladder cancer incidence trends over time

Bladder cancer survival trends over time

Bladder cancer risk factors

References

  1. England and Wales data were accessed from Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age, November 2021: Nomis mortality statistics by underlying cause, sex and age.
  2. Scotland data were provided by ISD Scotland on request, November 2021. Similar data can be found here: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/index.asp(link is external).
  3. Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry on request, February 2022. Similar data can be found here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/.
  4. Population data were published by the Office for National statistics, accessed July 2020. The data can be found here: Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, provisional: mid-2019.

About this data

Data is for UK, 1971-2019, C67.

Cancers in children and young people (aged 0-24) are best classified using a different system to cancers in adults, so the figures presented here may not correspond with those elsewhere.

Last reviewed:

It is projected that the average number of deaths from bladder cancer in the UK every year will rise from around 6,000 deaths in 2023-2025 to around 7,700 deaths in 2038-2040.[1]

Bladder cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 4% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 8 deaths per 100,000 people on average each year by 2038-2040.[1] This includes a decrease in rates for males and an increase for females.

For females, bladder cancer European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item mortality rates in the UK are projected to rise by 8% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 5 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1] For males, AS rates are projected to fall by 11% between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, to 12 deaths per 100,000 per year by 2038-2040.[1]

Bladder cancer (C67), Observed and Projected Age-Standardised Mortality Rates, by Sex, UK, 1975-2040

Download the data table (xlsx)

See also

Find out how these projections were calculated

Mortality trends over time for bladder cancer

Projections of mortality for all cancers combined

Download the projections data table

References

Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, February 2023. Age-period-cohort modelling approach described here, using 2020-based population projections (Office for National Statistics) and observed cancer mortality data (1975-2018).

About this data

Projections are based on mortality data from 2001-2018 (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland); the above figure presents all UK data from 1975-2018 (observed) and 2019-2040 (projected). Number of deaths and age-standardised rates are presented as annual averages for each 3-year rolling period. ICD-10 codes C67.

Projections are based on observed mortality rates and therefore implicitly include changes in cancer risk factors, diagnosis and treatment. Confidence intervals are not calculated for the projected figures. Projections are by their nature uncertain because unexpected events in future could change the trend. It is not sensible to calculate a boundary of uncertainty around these already uncertain point estimates. Changes are described as 'increase' or 'decrease' if there is any difference between the point estimates.

More on projections methodology

Last reviewed:

There is evidence for an association between bladder cancer mortality and deprivation for both males and females in England.[1]  England-wide data for 2007-2011 show European age-standardised  mortality Open a glossary item rates are 41% higher for males living in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and 64% higher for females.[1]

Bladder Cancer (C67), European Age-Standardised Mortality Rates by Deprivation Quintile, England, 2007-2011

The estimated deprivation gradient in bladder cancer mortality between people living in the most and least deprived areas in England has not changed in the period 2002-2011.[1] It has been estimated that there would have been around 520 fewer cancer deaths each year in England during 2007-2011 if all people experienced the same mortality rates as the least deprived.[1]

See also

Deprivation gradient for cancer incidence

Deprivation gradient in bladder cancer incidence

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Scotland

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Wales

Socio-economic variation in cancer mortality for Northern Ireland

References

  1. Cancer Research UK and National Cancer Intelligence Network. Cancer by deprivation in England: Incidence, 1996-2010, Mortality, 1997-2011. London: NCIN; 2014.

About this data

Data is for: UK, 2007-2011, ICD-10 C67

Deprivation gradient statistics were calculated using mortality data for 2007-2011. The deprivation quintiles were calculated using the Income domain scores from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) from the following years: 2004, 2007 and 2010. Full details on the data and methodology can be found in the Cancer by Deprivation in England NCIN report.

Last reviewed:

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Cancer stats explained

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