ABSTRACT
Incidence and Mortality Bladder cancer (BC) ranks fourth among solid tumors accounting for about 7% of all cancers. In Europe, the estimated incidence is 136,000 cases per year. The annual incidence rate is 22/100,000 men and 4/100,000 women, and the corresponding mortality rate is 7/100,000 and 2/100,000, respectively. BC is fatal in about one-third of men and one half of women, thus explaining the social interest of the disease. The frequency of diagnoses reaches a peak at 65 years of age, and two-thirds of BC patients are older than 65 years. Since the average age of the population is increasing, the incidence of BC is expected to increase accordingly.
