The number of cancer survivors currently in the United States is estimated at just under 14 million people. Expect to see that number continue to rise throughout the next decade.

The American Association for Cancer Research released its second Annual Report on Cancer Survivorship in the United States in advance of the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, and one of the major pieces of research in this report is the expected 31 percent increase in cancer survivors by 2022.

“The increase in the number of survivors will be due primarily to an aging of the population. By 2020, we expect that two-thirds of cancer survivors are going to be age 65 or older,” Julia Rowland, PhD, Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship at the National Cancer Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, told the ASCO Post.

Another noteworthy item is how survivorship is not equal among different types of cancer:

The data lays out a pretty clear need for an increase in the quality of lung cancer treatments, as well as the need for improved survivorship care.

“How to ensure that these patients lead not only long lives, but healthy and productive lives, will be a vital challenge to all of us,” said Dr. Rowland.

Read the full story here.

At this point, we're all aware of just how nasty smoking is. The links to various types of cancer have been proven. The health risks are well documented. The smell is repulsive. Smoking is bad — for you, and everyone surrounding you.

But those who continue to smoke may eventually go broke if they can't kick the habit.

A pack of cigarettes costs, on average, $6 in the United States. It varies from state to state (New Yorkers can often pay more than $10 per pack, while smokers in Virginia pay around $4.60), but smokers all across America — especially younger ones — are thinking twice before lighting up.

If you smoke a pack per day for an entire year, you need to set aside roughly $2,200 per year simply to purchase cigarettes. That's a significant chunk of change, but that doesn't tell the entire story.

Lung cancer deaths have plummeted across the United States for the better part of the last two decades, thanks in large part to stronger anti-smoking efforts and an increased awareness of what causes lung cancer.

However, a recent study published on June 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology says that lung cancer deaths are "steady or rising" among middle-aged women who live in the South or Midwest.

What could be the cause of such a dramatic, unexpected spike?