Age can affect bladder cancer survival, with older age typically linking to reduced survival rates. Other factors impacting bladder cancer survival can include the cancer’s stage.
Bladder cancer begins in your bladder, the hollow organ in your pelvis that holds urine until your body releases it during urination.
The risk of bladder cancer goes up as you get older. Additionally, age is also a factor that can impact bladder cancer survival.
Your risk of bladder cancer goes up as you get older. In fact, it is more common for those over the age of 55 to develop bladder cancer.
According to the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN), the median age of bladder cancer diagnosis is 73. The rate of new bladder cancer diagnoses has been decreasing in recent years; however, most likely due to a variety of factors,
- finding the diagnosis earlier
- improvement in treatments
- decline in smoking
- an increase in the awareness of the condition
A 2023 study reports that the survival rate for patients over 85 years of age is 40%, while it is 83.4% for patients under 54 years old.
Your age can also impact bladder cancer survival. Generally speaking, people who receive a diagnosis of bladder cancer at an older age have both a
Bladder cancer stats
- Researchers estimate that there will be
84,870 new diagnoses of bladder cancer in the United States in 2025. - Bladder cancer is more common in males than in females.
- Smoking is a major risk factor for bladder cancer. In fact, people who smoke are
three times as likely to get bladder cancer as people who do not.
In addition to age, there are a variety of other factors that can
- Cancer type: Some types of bladder cancer may be more aggressive or harder to treat than others.
- Stage: Stage measures how far the cancer has spread at diagnosis, including if the cancer has spread deeper into the bladder wall. A higher stage means the cancer has spread further and has a worse outlook.
- Grade: The grade of the cancer is a measure of how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope. It’s used to estimate the aggressiveness of a cancer. Higher-grade tumors are typically more aggressive.
- Tumor size or quantity: Having a large tumor or many tumors may make your cancer more challenging to treat.
- Overall health: Having other underlying health conditions can potentially impact your outlook for bladder cancer.
Language matters
You’ll notice we use the binary terms male, female, men, and women in this article. While we recognize that this term may not accurately reflect your gender experience, these are the terms used by the researchers whose data was cited. We try to be as specific as possible when reporting on research participants and clinical findings.
The studies and surveys referenced in this article didn’t report data for or may not have had participants who are transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, agender, or genderless.
The recommended treatment of bladder cancer can depend on many of the factors we’ve already discussed above, such as the cancer’s stage, grade, and size, and the quantity of tumors. Your personal preference also plays a role.
The potential treatments for bladder cancer can
- Intravesical therapy: Intravesical therapy involves introducing chemotherapy or immunotherapy drugs directly into the bladder to help treat the cancer.
- Surgery: The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer. Surgeries for bladder cancer can range from transurethral resection to the removal of some or all of the bladder.
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs that affect the growth and division of cells.
- Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy drugs target specific markers associated with cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy helps your immune system respond better to the cancer.
It’s likely that you’ll receive a combination of different treatments for your bladder cancer. For example, doctors use chemotherapy and radiation therapy to help kill any remaining cancer cells.
The outlook for bladder cancer can depend on several factors, including its type, stage, and grade. Additional factors, such as the type of treatment used and how the cancer responds to it, can also play a role.
The table below shows the 5-year relative survival rates for bladder cancer by stage in 2025.
| Region | 5-year relative survival rate |
| In situ, or in the original place found | |
| Localized, or in the area of the original organ found | 72% |
| Regional, or grown beyond the original area found | 40% |
| Distant, or spread | 9% |
| All stages combined | 78% |
A 5-year relative survival rate estimates the percentage of people with a certain type of cancer who are alive 5 years after diagnosis, as compared to people who do not have that type of cancer. It encompasses many people over many years and doesn’t take individual factors, such as overall health, into account.
It’s helpful to remember that each person’s experience with bladder cancer may differ. If you’ve received a diagnosis of bladder cancer, be sure to have an open discussion with your care team about your individual outlook.
There’s no hard and fast answer to this question. Survival after a bladder cancer diagnosis can depend on many individual factors, like your cancer’s stage and grade, how it responds to treatment, and your age and overall health.
Yes. Treatment can cure bladder cancer if doctors detect it when it’s only on the surface of the bladder wall, called in situ bladder cancer. The ACS notes that about half of bladder cancers receive a diagnosis at this stage.
Not always. Terminal cancer is when doctors can can no longer manage cancer with treatment and will eventually lead to death. Some stage 4 bladder cancer may still be controlled with treatment, while others may be terminal.
While people of any age can develop bladder cancer, most people receive a diagnosis at an older age. Generally, bladder cancer survival rates decrease with increasing age.
Other factors can also impact bladder cancer survival. These include the cancer’s stage and grade, the size and number of tumors, and overall health.
Overall, the outlook for bladder cancer is better when it’s diagnosed and treated early. It’s important to see your doctor if you have symptoms of bladder cancer, like blood in your urine, frequent or painful urination, and unintended weight loss.