I think a couple things come into play here. I am one of the "older" posters here and remember that cancer was something about which no one spoke. A great-aunt of mine had cancer, but it was never discussed out loud. A well-known local clergyman had cancer, but it was not widely discussed. When he went to Roswell Park in Buffalo, NY for treatment the cause of his illness was an open secret, but still not widely discussed.
On the other hand, I think many more people are being affected by various toxic chemicals, pollutants, etc. and that is why younger people are now in the mix. Finally, we are able to diagnose so many cancers earlier.
Also, I think it is wonderful to have this out in the open now. If only we could get mental illness into that category of openness...