Tune in to CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES Featuring CHOP

The field of oncology is on the cusp of dramatic changes. In this extraordinary moment, physician scientists are finally beginning to understand what causes cancer at a cellular, molecular and genetic level, to a much greater degree than 10 or even 5 years ago.

The history of our understanding and approach to cancer are at the center of CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, a film directed by Barak Goodman and executive produced by Ken Burns. The documentary, which features the Cancer Center at CHOP, will air in three parts on March 30, 31 and April 1 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS. This film is based on Siddhartha Mukherjee’s 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.

The film describes the history and future of cancer treatment, helping viewers see how much of the challenge of cancer we have overcome, and why we should be enormously optimistic at what lies ahead.

CANCER: THE EMPERER OF ALL MALADIES features oncologists, scientists and patients from around the world. The end of the film’s final chapter, airing April 1 at 9 p.m., highlights the incredible story of Emily Whitehead, a patient of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who was the first child enrolled in a clinical trial called CTL019. That trial, which takes an immunotherapeutic approach to the treatment of a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, has since been awarded Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Be sure to tune in to PBS on March 30, 31 and April 1 at 9 p.m. ET to watch this incredible film, and be inspired by the progress made in the long fight against cancer.