Ken Burns' documentary 'Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies' is a three-part, six-hour series, which shows the history of the disease from the times of ancient Egypt to the latest research.

Last year, the series got released in theaters, and now, on Monday, it was shown on PBS stations. It was collaboration between Burns and the film's director, Barak Goodman.

Burns said, "Cancer is perhaps the most feared of all diseases - which is exactly why Burns sees it as a vital topic, if never a welcome one. The essence of drama is conflict, and the essence of conflict is to live or die".

Burns stated that one in every three women and half of all men will suffer from cancer during their lifetime. He added that but it's not all gloom and doom, as there are sad moments and there are happy moments.

In today's world, a lot of people are willing to re-examine such dramatic changes in an individual's health as potential harbingers of how 'the emperor of all maladies', might be treated. An author Siddhartha Mukherjee described cancer as 'the emperor of all maladies'.

The author of 'Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds', Kelly Turner, as part of her doctoral dissertation, spent 10 months interviewing patients and healers from around the world, the ones who had experienced or been witness to a spontaneous remission of cancer.

According to cancer researcher, there were individuals who were diagnosed and then they refused to get conventional medical treatment, as well as those who were given conventional treatment try only to give it up for something else.

Turner found that vast majority of the individuals relied on decidedly non-physical approaches for the treatment of their disease. They go in for various emotional and spiritual issues through methods including, prayer, meditation and reconnecting with loved ones.