I feel that it's the fear of having cancer, with its pain and withering, that's been the main impetus behind Death with Dignity laws.

You might be right, but likely other degenerative diseases are the impetus too. 

Cancer represents a group of 200 different diseases with similar symptoms but diverse causes:

http://pandawhale.com/post/70033/cancer-deaths-hit-their-lowest-rate-since-the-numbers-peaked-in-1991 

i always figured that we have been dying of cancer for eons, we just didn't have a name for it.  we didn't understand cell mutation, so it was just called getting sick and dying.  and our chances of dying of viruses or bacteria were much higher, so most people didn't live long enough to make it to cancer.  maybe our modern medicine is just pointing out a fact of life: when things go awry we die. 

Humans have not been dying of cancer for eons, and we will not die of cancer for a lot longer. 

I would be surprised if cancer still exists 100 years from now. 

Cancer has inspired a lot of research and collaboration.

We are now in a period of accelerated knowledge of what it is and how to deal with it.

But we'll keep growing our understanding until we know how to prevent it. 

my experience with cancer is limited but tragic.  it took my very best friend.  i sure would like to see it eradicated.  i love your optimism, adam!

Sorry for your loss. Cancer seems to take a lot of young people. 

Knowing cancer affects so many people is tremendously motivating to the scientists who strive to understand cancer. I don't know how long it will take but I'm confident humanity will figure it out. 

40% of Americans will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetimes. 

It's the number 2 killer of Americans behind heart disease. 

Risk of getting cancer increases with age.

Cancer is caused by bad luck?

Load up on plant food. Use your gym membership. Apply sunscreen religiously. Steer clear of cigarettes. Taking on healthy behaviors like these is supposed to lower your lifetime cancer risk. Now, along comes a bombshell study that seems to suggest many of these odds-lowering efforts are less impactful than you may have previously thought: The study, from Johns Hopkins University, determined that two-thirds of all adult cancer incidences can be attributed to random gene mutations that drive tumor growth. In other words, most incidences of cancer are caused by plain-old bad luck, according to study authors.

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/gene-mutations-and-tumors

Liquor and ciggies, coming right up!!!

Debauchery for thee!

Yes. Also: I'm sure when Halibutboy mentions ciggies he's talking about marijuana not tobacco.

Age and obesity are contributors.

1. Older people get cancer most often, and we're getting older

Like heart disease, cancer largely affects the senior population. About 77 percent of all cancers are diagnosed in people over age 55, a segment of the U.S. population that is expected to double by 2060. Therefore, more seniors means more cases of cancer. Keep in mind, seniors are also living decades longer than just a century ago, when you were not expected to live beyond your mid-50s. According to the National Cancer Institute, seniors have an average life expectancy of about 79 years, on average, while 73 is the median age of cancer death.

2. Obesity opens the door to several types of cancer

A second key factor in our rising cancer rates is our country's battle with obesity and the continued lack of proper diet, exercise and weight control for many Americans. In 2014, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) issued a report warning that obesity will soon overtake tobacco as the No. 1 risk factor for cancer. Obesity is associated with increased risk of the following cancer types: breast (after menopause), colon and rectal, esophageal, endometrial, pancreatic, kidney, thyroid and gallbladder. 

Source: http://www.livescience.com/51099-the-three-reasons-cancer-rates-are-rising.html

New York Times on why everyone seems to have cancer:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/sunday-review/why-everyone-seems-to-have-cancer.html

My friend's dad has a saying.  "When you get old, there are two birds pecking at your feet.  One is cancer and the other is heart disease.  One of them will take you."

I don't like this saying.