ACTIVE AND NEWLY DIAGNOSED CASES OF BLADDER CANCER FOR 2025 IN STRUMICA, REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA
Keywords:
bladder cancer, active cases, newly diagnosed, cigarette smokingAbstract
Bladder cancer is a significant public health problem with a growing incidence worldwide. According to
data from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, it is among the most
common malignant neoplasms of the urinary tract and is among the top ten most common cancers in the world. The
disease is characterized by a high recurrence rate, especially in non-muscle-invasive forms, which requires long
term and regular cystoscopic monitoring. Despite the relatively good prognosis in the early stages, bladder cancer is
a disease with significant morbidity, the need for repeated interventions and high health costs. The most significant
risk factor for the development of bladder cancer is cigarette smoking, which is metabolized and eliminated in the
urine and comes into direct contact with the urothelium. Other risk factors include occupational exposure to
aromatic amines (in the chemical, textile and leather industries), chronic inflammatory conditions of the bladder,
long-term catheterization, previous radiotherapy in the pelvic region, as well as the use of certain cytostatic drugs.
Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze active cases of bladder cancer during 2025, with special attention to
newly diagnosed patients, their demographic characteristics and clinical presentation.
Materials and methods: This study presents a retrospective descriptive analysis of patients with bladder cancer
followed during 2025 in the Urology Outpatient Department of the Public Health Institution "General Hospital"
Strumica. The obtained data are systematized, presented graphically.
Results: This study included 98 patients: 26 newly diagnosed in 2025 and 72 patients diagnosed in previous years
and actively under control. Males dominate with 73 patients (74.5%). Females are less numerous with 25 patients
(25.5%). The average age is 67 years. The most common group is 61-70 years (48.0%). The youngest patient is a
47-year-old woman, and the oldest patient is also a woman, 81 years old. Recurrence was observed in 34 patients or
34.6% of whom: men - 25 (34.2%) women - 9 (36%). 83 patients (84.7%) are smokers while 15 patients (15.3%) are
non-smokers. A positive family history is present in 6 patients (6.1%) while 92 patients provided information about
a negative family history.
Conclusion: The analysis of active and newly diagnosed cases allows for better planning of healthcare resources,
improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic protocols, as well as improved patient monitoring.
References
Babjuk M., Burger M., Capoun O., Cohen D., Compérat E., Dominguez Escrig J., et al. (2022). European
Association of Urology Guidelines on Non-muscule-invasive Bladder Cancer ( Ta,T1 and CIS). European
Urology, 81(1), 75-94.
Berdik C. (2023). Advances in immunotherapy for bladder cancer treatment. Nature Reviews Urology, 20(5), 245
Bray, F., Laversanne, M., Sung, H., Ferlay, J., Siegel, R. L., Soerjomataram, I., & Jemal, A. (2024). Global cancer
statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185
countries. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 74(3), 229–263. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21834
Filho, A. M., Briganti, A., Jemal, A., & Bray, F. (2025). Bladder Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Global
Overview and Recent Trends. European urology, S0302-2838(25)04864-X. Advance online publication.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2025.12.011
Powles T., Bellmunt J., Comperat E., De Santis M., Huddart R., Loriot Y., et al. (2022). Bladder cancer: ESMO
Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology, 33(3), 244-258.
Puente, J., Rodríguez-Vida, A., Sevillano, E., Estévez, S. V., Fernández, C. Á., Chirivella, I., Climent, M. Á.,
Fernández, O., de Liaño, A. G., & Valderrama, B. P. (2025). SEOM-SOGUG clinical guideline for urothelial
cancer (2025). Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology
Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico, 27(11), 4142–4159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094
-04045-2
Richters, A., Aben, K.K.H., Kiemeney, L.A.L.M. (2020).The global burden of urinary bladder cancer: an update.
World Journal of Urology, 38(8), 1895-1904.
Siegel, R. L., Kratzer, T. B., Giaquinto, A. N., Sung, H., & Jemal, A. (2025). Cancer statistics, 2025. CA: a cancer
journal for clinicians, 75(1), 10–45. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21871
Sung, H., Ferlay, J., Siegel, R. L., Laversanne, M., Soerjomataram, I., Jemal, A., Braj, F. (2021). Global Cancer
Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates od incidence and mortality worldwide. CA: A Cancer Journal for
clinicians, 71(3), 209-249.
Superdock, M., Wobker, SE., Carmicheal, I., Kim, WY. Computational pathology in bladder cancer: A scoping
review. Bladder Cancer. 2026;12(1). doi:10.1177/23523735251413333
