Statement on American Cancer Society’s Projected Bladder Cancer Cases in 2022

January 12, 2022

Today, the American Cancer Society (ACS) released their Cancer Facts and Figures report, an annual estimate of the number of people who will get cancer in the coming year.  In 2022, the ACS estimates that 81,180 people will be diagnosed with bladder cancer, and 17,100 patients will not survive their disease.

Within the statistics about bladder cancer, there are some troubling underlying statistics.  The number of women who will be diagnosed in 2022 is expected to rise by 1.5% and the number of females who are not expected to survive their bladder cancer is predicted to rise by about 1%.  Since some of the typical signs and symptoms of bladder cancer mimic those of gynecological illnesses like blood in the urine, women are often diagnosed at later stages compared to their male counterparts.   As bladder cancer can be a progressive disease, later diagnoses usually mean worse outcomes for patients.

According to a 2018 National Cancer Institute estimate, there are more than 720,000 people living with bladder cancer in the United States.  That is more than the population of Vermont or Wyoming.

“Every single case of bladder cancer expected in 2022 represents someone’s husband, wife, grandfather, cousin or friend,” said Andrea Maddox-Smith, CEO of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN).  “Far too many patients learn what bladder cancer is at their time of diagnosis and BCAN is working to change that while supporting those who have this terrible disease.”

The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network offers free education and support resources for bladder cancer patients and those who love them and has funded more than $6 million in bladder cancer research.   

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The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network’s (BCAN’s) mission is to increase public awareness about bladder cancer, advance bladder cancer research and, provide educational and support services for the bladder cancer community.