Over 100 Gettysburg residents gathered at the Majestic Theater on Monday March 23 for a special sneak preview of the new PBS documentary CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES. The event was hosted by WITF’s Scott LaMar with an introduction from Wellspan Health’s Dr. Doug Arbittier, Vice President, Oncology Services. After the film the audience participated in a panel discussion with local cancer experts including: Dr. Robert Rice, WellSpan Medical Oncology, Dr. Sherif Yacoub, WellSpan Radiation Oncology, Michelle Shriner, Chair of the Adams County Breast Cancer Coalition and Oncology Nurse Navigator at WellSpan’s Adams Cancer Center, Dr. Tim McKee, WellSpan’s Gettysburg Surgical Associates and Mike Neal, Executive Vice President & East Central Division Operating Officer at American Cancer Society. The screening and panel discussion were presented by Transforming Health and WellSpan Health.

Ken Burns Presents CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, is a three-part documentary series directed by award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman and executive produced by Ken Burns. The series premieres on WITF TV Monday, March 30, Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 9pm.

CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D. and tells the comprehensive story of cancer, from its first description in an ancient Egyptian scroll to the gleaming laboratories of modern research institutions. At six hours, the film interweaves a sweeping historical narrative with intimate stories about contemporary patients, and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs that may have brought us, at long last, within sight of lasting cures.

The documentary project has also launched CancerFilms.org ,an expansive website with social and interactive media components created in conjunction with the documentary. The project website features an innovative short film series executive produced by Ken Burns, featuring individual cancer patients and caregivers.

Click to Watch Digital Shorts - Special Features - Clips fromthe Film

The interactive website includes a mixture of produced and user-generated content exploring the three intermingled strands of the series: a riveting historical documentary, an engrossing and intimate vérité film that focuses on current patients, and a scientific report. The website is intended for the vast cancer community of patients and survivors, family members, caregivers, scientists, clinicians and other healthcare providers , as well as the public at large. Participants can share their stories now at CancerFilms.org, engage with the project on Twitter via @CancerFilm or #CancerFilm, and visit the project on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CancerFilm.

Smart Talk Tuesday, March 24, 2015

One in twenty people will develop colon cancer at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, colon cancer has the second-highest cancer death rate in Pennsylvania. The good news is that there are preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk.

Family history makes a difference but so do diet, physical activity, and smoking and alcohol use.

Many people may feel nervous about having invasive preventative tests, but with the right lifestyle habits and regular screenings, colon cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and doctors all over our local region are encouraging their patients to get screened for colon cancer.

On this episode of Smart Talk, physicians Dr. Ray Hohl, director of Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, and Dr. Walter Koltun, chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, will discuss the causes, risk factors, symptoms, treatments and what we're learning about colon cancer.

Dr. Walter Koltun and Dr. Ray Holh

witf has been chosen by the American Cancer Society, East Central Division Awards Committee as the 2012 recipient of the Division Citation Award.

Cancer is the epidemic of modern times. Unlike other diseases that have plagued people throughout history like tuberculosis and polio, we haven’t yet discovered a vaccine against it. One of the most common manifestations of this disease is breast cancer, which affects not only one in eight women, but also thousands of men in the United States.

Harrisburg, PA – The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) of Central Pennsylvania announced today that it will host a Town Hall Meeting open to the public.

(Langhorne) -- Bank statements, home addresses, and phone numbers are just some pieces of personal information that can be found online these days.

The American Cancer Society says research shows people who use tanning beds are much more likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, than those who never did.

Each year, students across PA raise money to help kids who are fighting a tough fight against cancer. In 2012, they raised over 10 million dollars through THON events! The Beecher family is featured in this new documentary that chronicles the student-run philanthropy, THON, and the children, families, and students who are changed by their experience.

Central PA prostate cancer survivors and advocates Jay Snyder and Thomas Goodman, Jr., report back from the ZERO Summit to End Prostate Cancer in Washington D.C. where they learned about the latest in prostate cancer awareness, research and legislation.

As most people are aware, there are many changes coming to healthcare as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully implemented within the next two years.