CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES

Produced by Ken Burns and directed by Barak Goodman,  tells the comprehensive story of cancer, from its first description in an ancient Egyptian scroll to the gleaming laboratories of modern research institutions. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D.
The six-hour, three-part film interweaves a sweeping historical narrative with intimate stories about contemporary patients, and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs that may have brought us, at long last, within sight of lasting cures.

Finding the Achilles Heel

Scientists believe they have cracked the mystery of the malignant cell and the first targeted therapies are developed, with the promise of many more to follow. But very quickly cancer reveals new layers of complexity and unforeseen defenses. In the disappointment that follows, many call for a new focus on prevention and early detection as the most promising fronts in the war on cancer. But other scientists are undeterred, and by the second decade of the 2000s their work pays off. This episode follows patients Doug Rogers, a 60-year-old NASCAR mechanic with melanoma, and Emily Whitehead, a six-year-old child afflicted with leukemia – both pioneers in new immunotherapy treatments.