PBS Special - Cancer the Emperor of all Maladies

lizdeli
lizdeli Member Posts: 569 Member
in Anal Cancer #1

There is a PBS documentary on this week called: Cancer - the Emperor of all Maladies. I think it is 3 parts, maybe four.  I am watching the 2nd one now.  It traces the history of cancer.   So far I am amazed of how far we have come and appreciative of the many trail blazers, doctors, scientists, and philanthropists.  On the other hand, I am saddened that we are still battling this horrid disease. It is emotional to watch the documentary but so far very educational.

Liz

Comments

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #2
    On PBS.

    The series is by documentarian extraodinaire, Ken Burns. If interested, you can find posted episode to view at the show's website and at PBS: http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/cancer-emperor-of-all-maladies/home/ ; http://video.pbs.org/program/story-cancer-emperor-all-maladies/

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #3
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch said:

    On PBS.

    The series is by documentarian extraodinaire, Ken Burns. If interested, you can find posted episode to view at the show's website and at PBS: http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/cancer-emperor-of-all-maladies/home/ ; http://video.pbs.org/program/story-cancer-emperor-all-maladies/

    Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed!

    By the way, every researcher i've heard in the last few years on PBS or NPR or read about has been quietly excited about what's coming very soon. It seems that we are fast approaching a tipping point in the treatment of many of the cancers. Just eliminating the severe illness that accompanies treatment would be a real boon all by itself!

  • Cazz
    Cazz Member Posts: 106
    #4
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch said:

    Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed!

    By the way, every researcher i've heard in the last few years on PBS or NPR or read about has been quietly excited about what's coming very soon. It seems that we are fast approaching a tipping point in the treatment of many of the cancers. Just eliminating the severe illness that accompanies treatment would be a real boon all by itself!

    Let's Dethrone Emperor Cancer

    I only caught the last episode of this last night, but found it very interesting.  I was quite tickled to see Dr Steven Rosenberg featured as he is the lead investigator on a trial that I am trying to get into at NCI/NIH, so now if I get to go and interview, I will recognize him.  Everything they had to say on the program seemed very promising - until they said that they had first started down the immunotherapy road 25 years ago!  Still, they now have a very high success rate with melanoma, so why not anal?  One day I hope you will see me being (successfully) treated on a similar program called "Cancer: How our own Bodies Kicked its Butt"!  Wouldn't that be grand.

    Also, as someone on the program said, its not so important that we cure cancer - if we can turn it into a manageable chronic disease, that would be a huge victory - I would take that.

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #5
    Cazz said:

    Let's Dethrone Emperor Cancer

    I only caught the last episode of this last night, but found it very interesting.  I was quite tickled to see Dr Steven Rosenberg featured as he is the lead investigator on a trial that I am trying to get into at NCI/NIH, so now if I get to go and interview, I will recognize him.  Everything they had to say on the program seemed very promising - until they said that they had first started down the immunotherapy road 25 years ago!  Still, they now have a very high success rate with melanoma, so why not anal?  One day I hope you will see me being (successfully) treated on a similar program called "Cancer: How our own Bodies Kicked its Butt"!  Wouldn't that be grand.

    Also, as someone on the program said, its not so important that we cure cancer - if we can turn it into a manageable chronic disease, that would be a huge victory - I would take that.

    Cazz

    The pharmaceutical companies would love to turn cancer into a "chronic" disease.  Think of the money they would make.  A cure would mean no more huge profits for them.

  • Cazz
    Cazz Member Posts: 106
    #6
    mp327 said:

    Cazz

    The pharmaceutical companies would love to turn cancer into a "chronic" disease.  Think of the money they would make.  A cure would mean no more huge profits for them.

    Drug Companies

    You know, I would happily pay (or better, have my insurance co pay) any drug company thousands for the rest of my life, if it meant that my life would be 20 years rather than the next 18 months.  I don't need a cure, I just want to live!

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #7
    Cazz said:

    Drug Companies

    You know, I would happily pay (or better, have my insurance co pay) any drug company thousands for the rest of my life, if it meant that my life would be 20 years rather than the next 18 months.  I don't need a cure, I just want to live!

    Cazz

    I would be all for turning cancer into a chronic disease when no cure is possible.  Of course, quality of life would be a consideration.

  • jcruz
    jcruz Member Posts: 379 Member
    #8
    the emperor

    I am really enjoying this program.  Very educational.  So much fascinating history.  And the contemporary patient stories are compelling and very emotional for me to watch.  My mother was in an immunotherapy trial back in the mid-70s.  To this day we don't know if the therapy was effective for her or if she survived melanoma by sheer force of will or, as she believes, the hand of god.  I hope you all saw the 60Minutes report on a trial at Duke using a polio virus to treat glioblastoma.  The researcher pursued this study for 25 years.  I am so grateful for the dedication of researchers and doctors.

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #9
    Cazz said:

    Let's Dethrone Emperor Cancer

    I only caught the last episode of this last night, but found it very interesting.  I was quite tickled to see Dr Steven Rosenberg featured as he is the lead investigator on a trial that I am trying to get into at NCI/NIH, so now if I get to go and interview, I will recognize him.  Everything they had to say on the program seemed very promising - until they said that they had first started down the immunotherapy road 25 years ago!  Still, they now have a very high success rate with melanoma, so why not anal?  One day I hope you will see me being (successfully) treated on a similar program called "Cancer: How our own Bodies Kicked its Butt"!  Wouldn't that be grand.

    Also, as someone on the program said, its not so important that we cure cancer - if we can turn it into a manageable chronic disease, that would be a huge victory - I would take that.

    Not the same.

    As they pointed out, the immunotherapy that was used in the past was very different than the molecular and DNA-mediated treatments they are researching now.

    Be sure to watch the other episodes!

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