Norwegian Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Registry

Summary from the annual report 2025

The National Clinical Registry for Bladder and Urothelial Cancer received national approval in 2024. The annual report is based on limited data but will be expanded with more detailed information related to diagnostic work-up, treatment, and adherence to the National Treatment Guidelines when new clinical reporting forms are implemented in 2026. 

Incidence

Bladder and urothelial cancer was the sixth most common cancer among men in Norway in 2024. Significantly more men than women are diagnosed with bladder/urethral cancer. The overall incidence of cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter is considerably lower, with incidence slightly higher in men than in women.

Diagnostics

Most bladder cancer patients have tumors with a relatively favorable prognosis. The annual report shows that 16% had muscle-invasive bladder cancer at the time of diagnosis, which requires radical treatment.

Curative Treatment 

• Repeat transurethral resection of the bladder (reTURB) is recommended for all pT1 tumors and should be performedwithintwotosixweeksaftertheinitialTURB.Nationally,57%ofpatientsundergoreTURBwithin three months after TURB with pT1, while 19% undergo cystectomy/cystoprostatectomy within six months. 

• Thenational average rate of recurrence/new tumor three to six months after the first TURB is 4.7%.

• Helse Vest has had the lowest proportion of TURB with pT0 performed more than three months after an initial TURB with cancer throughout the period 2019–2025.

• Thereissomevariationbetween health trusts in concordance between pT stage at TURB and pT stage in the surgical specimen.

• GC (gemcitabine and cisplatin) combined with durvalumab, approved in autumn 2025, has been used as neoadjuvant treatment for selected bladder cancer patients at some health trusts. Nationwide, MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) remains the most commonly used regimen (31%). 

• Thenumber of neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles varies considerably between regional health authorities. Helse Nord has the highest proportion of patients receiving one to two cycles.

• Nivolumab constitutes the largest share of adjuvant systemic treatment in radical cystectomy patients at most health trusts during the period 2023–August 2025.

• Nationwide, the median time from the last TURB to initiation of neoadjuvant treatment is 29 days. Some health trusts exceed five weeks between these two treatments.

Palliative Treatment

The proportion of patients receiving palliative chemotherapy or immunotherapy during the last eight and four weeks of life varies considerably between health trusts.

Survival 

• Five-year relative survival differs by sex (women: 38.5%, men: 51.9%). 

• Thefive-year age-standardized relative survival for patients undergoing cystectomy/cystoprostatectomy is 73.2%.

Quality Improvement

The Advisory Board identifies opportunities for improvement at some health trusts concerning time from last TURB to initiation of neoadjuvant treatment, use of systemic anticancer therapy in the final phase of life, and the proportion of patients with early recurrence of bladder cancer.