Bladder cancer starts in the cells of the bladder. The bladder is an integral part of the urinary system – it is a hollow organ in the pelvis which stores urine before it is eliminated from the body. Nearly all of these cancers start in the lining of the bladder, and are called urothelial carcinomas. These are often diagnosed at an early stage, before they have grown into the muscle wall of the bladder and become invasive [1].
In 2020, it is projected that 12 200 Canadians will be diagnosed with bladder cancer and 2600 Canadians will die because of it. This makes bladder cancer the 5th most diagnosed cancer with the 8th highest mortality rate [2].
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[1] “What is bladder cancer”, Canadian Cancer Society, n.d. http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/bladder/bladder-cancer/
[2] “Cancer-specific stats 2020”, Canadian Cancer Society, Feb. 28 2020 https://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-101/canadian-cancer-statistics/