Incidence, mortality and relative survival of patients with cancer of the bladder and upper urothelial tract in the Nordic countries between 1990 and 2019.

PURPOSE: To understand the potential impact of new treatment options for urinary tract cancer, recent population trends in incidence, mortality and survival should be elucidated. This study estimated changes in the incidence, mortality and relative survival of urinary tract cancer in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) between 1990 and 2019. METHODS: Annual counts of incident cases and deaths due to urinary tract cancer (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes C65-C68, D09.0-D09.1, D30.1-D30.9 and D41.1-D41.9) in Nordic countries were retrieved in 5-year age categories by sex during the study period. Country-specific time trends (annual rate ratios [RRs]) were estimated using Poisson regression, and RRs were compared between sexes. RESULTS: The incidence rate of bladder and upper urothelial tract cancer was >3-times lower in women than men in all countries across all age groups (incidence RR for women to men ranging from 0.219 [95% CI = 0.213-0.224] in Finland to 0.291 [95% CI = 0.286-0.296] in Denmark). Incidence rates were lowest in Finland and highest in Norway and Denmark. Age-adjusted mortality decreased in Finland, Denmark and Norway and in Swedish men, with the greatest decrease seen in Danish men (annual RR = 0.976; 95% CI = 0.975-0.978). In all countries and age groups, women had a lower relative survival rate than men. CONCLUSION: Between 1990 and 2019, the incidence of urinary tract cancer was stable in the Nordic countries, while mortality rates declined and relative survival increased. This could be due to earlier diagnosis and better treatment.

Incidence, survival and mortality trends of bladder cancer in Sweden 1997-2016.

Objective: To evaluate trends in bladder cancer incidence, survival and mortality in Sweden from 1997-2016.Patients and methods: The Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer is a nation-wide quality register that started in 1997. It includes information on initial tumor characteristics and treatment; 41,097 new cases were registered up to 2016. Patients were stratified into four time periods. Deaths were monitored through the national death register. Overall and relative survival in time periods were studied with respect to differences in stage, age and gender.Results: The number of new cases increased by 38% for men and 39% for women from 1997 to 2016. The corresponding age-standardized incidence per 100,000 was less dramatic, with increases of 6% and 21%, respectively, and the increase was most evident in the oldest age group. The survival rate was stable until 2012, but thereafter a significant improvement occurred. The survival trends in stage-groups show that this improvement is found in all categories as well as irrespective of age and gender. The mortality rate during this period was stable for women, but showed a slight decrease for men. The main limitation of this study is the use of administrative data for defining some of the endpoints.Conclusion: The most recent Swedish bladder cancer statistics show an increased incidence, improved survival, but stable mortality.

Treatment according to guidelines may bridge the gender gap in outcome for patients with stage T1 urinary bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this investigation was to study differences between male and female patients with stage T1 urinary bladder cancer (UBC) regarding intravesical instillation therapy, second resection and survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included all patients with non-metastatic primary T1 UBC reported to the Swedish National Register of Urinary Bladder Cancer (SNRUBC) from 1997 to 2014, excluding those treated with primary cystectomy. Differences between groups were evaluated using chi-squared tests and logistic regression, and survival was investigated using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS: In all, 7681 patients with T1 UBC (77% male, 23% female) were included. Females were older than males at the time of diagnosis (median age at presentation 76 and 74 years, respectively; p < .001). A larger proportion of males than females underwent intravesical instillation therapy (39% vs 33%, p < .001). Relative survival was lower in women aged ≥75 years and women with G3 tumours compared to men. However, women aged ≥75 years who had T1G3 tumours and underwent second resection followed by intravesical instillation therapy showed a relative survival equal to that observed in men. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study demonstrates that women of all ages with T1 UBC undergo intravesical instillation therapy less frequently than men, and that relative survival is poorer in women aged ≥75 years than in men of the same age when intravesical instillation therapy and second resection are not used. However, these disparities may disappear with treatment according to guidelines.

Intravesical instillations and cancer-specific survival in patients with primary carcinoma in situ of the urinary bladder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of intravesical treatment and cancer-specific survival of patients with primary carcinoma in situ (CIS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data acquisition was based on the Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer by selecting all patients with primary CIS. The analysis covered gender, age, hospital type and hospital volume. Intravesical treatment and death due to bladder cancer were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression and multivariate Cox analysis, respectively. RESULTS: The study included 1041 patients (median age at diagnosis 72 years) with a median follow-up of 65 months. Intravesical instillation therapy was given to 745 patients (72%), and 138 (13%) died from bladder cancer during the observation period. Male gender [odds ratio (OR) = 1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-2.17] and treatment at county (OR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.17-2.33), university (OR =2.12, 95% CI 1.48-3.03) or high-volume (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 1.34-2.75) hospitals were significantly associated with higher odds of intravesical instillations. The age category ≥80 years had a significantly lower chance of receiving intravesical therapy (OR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.26-0.74) and a significantly higher risk of dying from bladder cancer (hazard ratio = 3.03, 95% CI 1.71-5.35). CONCLUSION: Significantly more frequent use of intravesical treatment of primary CIS was found for males and for patients treated at county, university and high-volume hospitals. Age ≥80 years was significantly related to less intravesical treatment and poorer cancer-specific survival.

Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer: No difference in relative survival over time despite more aggressive treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to use the Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer (SNRUBC) to investigate changes in patient and tumour characteristics, management and survival in bladder cancer cases over a period of 15 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients with newly detected bladder cancer reported to the SNRUBC during 1997-2011 were included in the study. The cohort was divided into three groups, each representing 5 years of the 15 year study period. RESULTS: The study included 31,266 patients (74% men, 26% women) with a mean age of 72 years. Mean age was 71.7 years in the first subperiod (1997-2001) and 72.5 years in the last subperiod (2007-2011). Clinical T categorization changed from the first to the last subperiod: Ta from 45% to 48%, T1 from 21.6% to 22.4%, and T2-T4 from 27% to 25%. Also from the first to the last subperiod, intravesical treatment after transurethral resection for T1G2 and T1G3 tumours increased from 15% to 40% and from 30% to 50%, respectively, and cystectomy for T2-T4 tumours increased from 30% to 40%. No differences between the analysed subperiods were found regarding relative survival in patients with T1 or T2-T4 tumours, or in the whole cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation based on a national bladder cancer registry showed that the age of the patients at diagnosis increased, and the proportion of muscle-invasive tumours decreased. The treatment of all tumour stages became more aggressive but relative survival showed no statistically significant change over time.

Local recurrence and progression of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer in Sweden: a population-based follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate recurrence and progression of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in a large population-based setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with bladder cancer (stage Ta, T1 or carcinoma in situ) diagnosed in 2004-2007 (n = 5839) in Sweden were investigated 5 years after diagnosis using a questionnaire. Differences in time to recurrence and progression were analysed in relation to age, gender, tumour stage and grade, intravesical treatment, healthcare region, and hospital volume of NMIBC patients (stratified in three equally large groups). RESULTS: Local bladder recurrence and progression occurred in 50 and 9% of the patients, respectively. The rate of local recurrence was 56% in the southern healthcare region compared to 37% in the northern region. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for age, gender, tumour stage and grade, intravesical treatment, healthcare region and hospital volume, showed that recurrence was associated with TaG2 and T1 disease, no intravesical treatment and treatment in the southern healthcare region, but indicated a lower risk of recurrence in the northern healthcare region. Adjusting for the same factors in a multivariate analysis suggested that increased relative risk of progression correlated with older age, higher tumour stage and grade, and diagnosis in the Uppsala/Örebro healthcare region, whereas such risk was decreased by intravesical treatment (relative risk 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.55-0.93, p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of NMIBC recurrence and progression was found to be high in Sweden, and important disparities in outcome related to care patterns appear to exist between different healthcare regions.