Join PBS NewsHour to discuss ‘The Emperor of All Maladies’ with Barak Goodman

Today is the day! #CancerFilm premieres TONIGHT, 9 PM ET on @PBS. Where will you be watching? http://t.co/6aMF5nrfFY pic.twitter.com/iFKVb0aK8W

— Cancer Films (@CancerFilm) March 30, 2015

“What is it that I am fighting?”

When Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, an oncologist and hematologist, was asked this question by a patient, he was struck by his own inability to answer. He realized that, despite cancer’s vast impact and the centuries-long search to find a cure, we actually know very little about the disease.

Mukherjee set out to change that with his book, “The Emperor of All Maladies,” which treated the disease as a biographical subject. Now, documentarian Ken Burns and director Barak Goodman have brought Mukherjee’s book to film in the upcoming series “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies,” airing on PBS March 30, 31 and April 1 (check local listings).

Each of the series’ three parts chronicles a different chapter in the history of cancer, and tells the story of a different individual who has battled the disease.

“Treating cancer is one of the most significant human challenges we’ve ever faced,” says Mukherjee, “This project will provide the public with a clearer vision of where we are in this extraordinary journey.”

Before the premier of “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies” on Monday, PBS NewsHour held a Twitter chat with Goodman (@GoodmanBarak) and Mary Harris (@marysdesk), editor of WNYC’s “Living Cancer” series, a radio companion to “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.” Read a transcript of the discussion below.

Editor’s note: Ken Burns was originally scheduled to participate in this chat. Unfortunately, due to a conflict, he was unable to join the conversation.