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UAMS, AETN Host Screening of Cancer Documentary

By ChaseYavondaC

| March 13, 2015 | Arkansans got a sneak peak at a new documentary March 9 when UAMS and the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) hosted a screening of “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.”

Produced by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, the film tells the comprehensive story of cancer, from its first description in an ancient Egyptian scroll to the laboratories of modern research institutions.

Peter Emanuel (second left), M.D., director of the UAMS Cancer Institute, speaks at a panel following a special screening  of a Ken Burns produced documentary “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.” Emanuel was joined by (from l-r) Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., Issam Makhoul, M.D., and Matthew Steliga, M.D.

At six hours, the documentary interweaves the historical narrative with intimate stories about contemporary patients and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs. Guests at the screening, which was held in the UAMS Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, viewed the first hour of the series.

Immediately following the screening, a panel of physicians from the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute fielded questions about cancer research and treatment. Mark Herbst of the AETN Foundation served as moderator.

Panelists were:

  • Peter Emanuel, M.D., director of the Cancer Institute and a specialist in leukemia and lymphoma
  • V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., breast cancer surgeon and director of the UAMS Breast Cancer Program
  • Matthew Steliga, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon specializing in lung cancer, tumors of the chest and esophageal cancer
  • Issam Makhoul, M.D., a medical oncologist specializing in breast and gastrointestinal cancers

“Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies,” a three-part documentary series directed by Barak Goodman, will air on AETN Monday, March 30 through Wednesday, April 1 at 8 p.m. each night. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book titled “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D.