Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies

2015 • PBS
4.6
19 reviews
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (3)

1 Magic Bullets
3/30/15
Season-only
The search for a "cure" for cancer is the greatest epic in the history of science, spanning centuries and continents. This episode follows that centuries-long search, but centers on the story of Sidney Farber, who, defying conventional wisdom in the late 1940s, introduces the modern era of chemotherapy, eventually galvanizing a "war on cancer." Interwoven with Farber’s narrative is the contemporary story of a 14-month-old diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The film follows her as she and her parents struggle with the many hardships and decisions foisted upon a cancer patient.
2 The Blind Men and the Elephant
3/31/15
Season-only
This episode picks up the story in the wake of the declaration of a "war on cancer" by Richard Nixon in 1971 and the search for a cure. In the lab, rapid progress is made in understanding the essential nature of the cancer cell, leading to the revolutionary discovery of the genetic basis of cancer, but few new therapies become available. Not until the late 1990s do advances in research begin to translate into more precise targeted therapies with breakthrough drugs. Following the history during these fraught decades, the film intertwines the contemporary story of an oncologist diagnosed with breast cancer. Her emotional and physical struggles provide a bracing counterpoint to the historical narrative.
3 Finding the Achilles Heel
4/1/15
Season-only
This episode starts at a moment of optimism: Scientists believe they have cracked the mystery of the malignant cell, and the first targeted therapies have been developed. But very quickly cancer reveals new layers of complexity and a formidable array of defenses. Many call for a new focus on prevention and early detection as the most promising fronts in the war on cancer. By the second decade of the 2000s, the bewildering complexity of the cancer cell yields to a more ordered picture, revealing new vulnerabilities and avenues of attack. Perhaps most exciting is the prospect of harnessing the human immune system to defeat cancer. A 60-year-old NASCAR mechanic with melanoma and a six-year-old with leukemia are pioneers in new immunotherapy treatments, which the documentary follows as their stories unfold.

About this show

The story of the war on cancer spans centuries and continents. It is a scientific story, but also a deeply human one: of doctors, researchers, and especially patients who-through courage, suffering, and occasional hubris-pushed the boundaries of knowledge. These people helped define cancer as the scourge of the modern age, and then mobilized the federal government and private industry to wage an all-out campaign against it-a campaign we are still fighting. Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Siddhartha Mukherjee and brought to the screen by executive producer Ken Burns, tells the complete story of cancer, from its first description in an ancient Egyptian scroll to the gleaming laboratories of modern research institutions. At six hours, the 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, to the brink of lasting cures.

Ratings and reviews

4.6
19 reviews
deborah elliott
February 19, 2022
We could cure cancer if the medical establishment wasn't making so much money off of it.
Abbi Steinhart
April 6, 2015
'Ken Burns Produces'... has outdone himself!!! This series of documentaries is profoundly interesting & self-involving--- especially if you've had cancer, been "cured" ×2, & are wondering the chances of their coming back (were cut out alone), & also especially interesting because I have studied genetics & medicine. BRAVO!!!
5 people found this review helpful
Kenneth Dobrowolski
October 15, 2019
Cancer is a LIE. There is no such thing as cancer. It's a vitamin B-17 deficiency.