An analysis of data from the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry shows bladder cancer has become the third most common cancer in the Veterans Health Administration, according to a poster abstract presented at the Association of VA Hematology/Oncology (AVAHO) Annual Meeting.

“In 2014, urinary bladder surpassed colorectal cancer to become the third most common cancer overall and in men behind prostate and lung cancers,” wrote presenter Chin-Lin Tseng, a statistician for the Veterans Health Administration. “The age-adjusted cancer incident rate for colorectal cancer remained higher than bladder cancer, reflecting a younger age at diagnosis.” 

The study focused on cancer diagnoses for the years 2010 through 2017 in the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry. During the period, 361,339 cancers were diagnosed. 

Between 2010 and 2017, cancer case counts fell from 48,069 to 42,792, the study found. Per 100,000 people, age-standardized incidence rates decreased from 370 to 270 overall, and from 374 to 274 for men and from 284 to 204 for women. Relative changes in rates were 26.7% for men and 28.2% for women, compared with 10.8% for men and 2.1% for women in the US population. 

The percentage of lung cancer cases at stage 1 increased, and cases at stage 4 decreased, for both men and women between 2010 and 2017, according to the abstract. Meanwhile, for men with prostate cancer, stage 2 cases decreased from 59% to 56%, but stage 3 and stage 4 cases increased from 5% to 7% and 7% to 11%, respectively, over the study period. 

“The age standardized rates of total cancers and common cancers for men and women decreased at faster rates than the trends in the entire US population,” the poster noted, “suggesting reduced case reporting may be occurring.” 

Reference:

Tseng C. Incidence of invasive cancers in the Veterans Health Administration, 2010-2017. Abstract presented at Association of VA Hematology/Oncology (AVAHO) Annual Meeting; September 24-26, 2021.