We've asked our staff to share their thoughts on the PBS documentary, Cancer: Emperor of All Maladies. This week, we'll post their comments, including how they hope it will influence the public dialogue on cancer, research and treatment.
Vered Stearns, M.D., co-director of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program shares her thoughts:
Cancer is a spectrum of multiple illnesses. In some instances we have made substantial advances, and cures are possible. In other situations, cancer continues to be deadly. Regardless, cancer brings devastation and sorrow both to those diagnosed with the illness and to their loved ones. I hope that the PBS documentary will provide the public with an understanding of the complexity surrounding this malady and how intricate treatment decisions are. I hope to share our excitement for future individualized treatment and prevention strategies, and successful transitions to thrive beyond cancer.
Tune into PBS stations nationwide, March 30, 31 and April 1 to watch the three-part, six-hour documentary series that tells the story of cancer based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The documentary, billed by its producers as one of the most comprehensive of its kind yet made, features several patient stories and interviews conducted with clinicians and scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.