INCREASING SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS WITH URINARY-BLADDER CANCER - A NATIONWIDE STUDY IN SWEDEN 1960-1986

Survival rates were analysed in 29 055 patients with urinary bladder c ancer diagnosed in Sweden from 1960 to 1986 and followed up until 1987 . The 2-, 5- and 10-year relative survival rates were 79, 70 and 64% f or men and 75, 68 and 63% for women, respectively. Patients with a his tory of bladder cancer for at least 15 years ran a negligible risk of dying from their disease. Prognosis was consistently better in younger than in older patients; below 50 years of age the 5-year relative sur vival rate was 90%, as compared with 60% in patients aged 70-79 years. Patients diagnosed between 1960 and 1964 had a 60% 5-year relative su rvival, as compared to 71% in those diagnosed between 1980 and 1984. M ultivariate analyses further confirmed that age but not sex is an impo rtant prognostic factor in bladder cancer and, further, that a substan tial improvement in survival rates took place during the 1960-1986 per iod. Compared with 1960-1964 the risk of dying of bladder cancer withi n 5 years in patients diagnosed between 1980 and 1984 was 51% lower in men [relative risk (RR) = 0.49; 95% confidence interval (C.I.) 0.42-0 .57] and 44% lower in women (RR = 0.56; 95% C.I. 0.45-0.70).