Impact of Age, TNM Stage, and Hospitalization on Bladder Cancer Survival: Evidence from a Hospital-Based Cohort in Eastern China.

Purpose: To evaluate survival outcomes and identify prognostic factors among bladder cancer patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 488 bladder cancer patients admitted between 2007 and 2017 were followed until December 31, 2020, using both active and passive follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate observed survival (OS), with group comparisons performed using the Log rank test. Variables included sex, age group, number of hospital admissions, TNM stage, and geographic origin. Results: Of 488 patients, 485 (99.38%) were successfully followed. The majority were male (80.21%) with a mean age of 66.5 years. The average number of hospital admissions was 1.81. Overall 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year OS rates were 79.95%, 63.50%, 56.32%, and 45.54% for males, and 69.79%, 58.33%, 56.01%, and 56.01% for females, respectively (P = 0.697). Age significantly affected prognosis (P < 0.01), with 5-year OS declining from 66.67% (age ≤34) to 29.53% (≥80). Patients with ≥3 admissions had worse survival (44.87%) than those with one (61.93%) or two admissions (58.97%) (P < 0.01). TNM stage was strongly with survival: 5-year OS rates were 86.43% (Stage I), 55.48% (Stage II), 38.25% (Stage III), and 13.85% (Stage IV) (P < 0.01). Regional differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Advanced age and late-stage diagnosis were associated with poorer survival, while early-stage detection correlated with better outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of early screening, timely treatment, and comprehensive care strategies to improve bladder cancer survival, especially in resource-limited settings. Limitations include single-center design and absence of multivariate adjustment.