Two Words, More Options
A cancer diagnosis often brings a rush of emotions including fear, confusion, urgency, and a maze of decisions that need to be made quickly. In those moments, knowing every available care and treatment option is critical.
A cancer diagnosis changes everything. But two words can change the course of cancer: clinical trials.
For some patients, clinical trials might offer another option for cancer care that can be explored at the very beginning of diagnosis. By understanding and discussing clinical trials early in a patient’s disease journey, patients and caregivers can make more informed decisions based on available information — with the potential to help advance medical research that could benefit themselves, other people living with cancer and generations to come.
To raise awareness about cancer clinical trials and the potential they bring for current and future patients, we are partnering with Rob Lowe, Emmy-nominated actor and advocate. Rob’s commitment to cancer awareness is personal: his grandmother, Mim, was diagnosed with cancer and participated in a cancer clinical trial. His family’s experience with cancer fuels his belief that everyone deserves to know what their options are right from the start.
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Inside a car, a mom is sitting in the passenger seat. She is lost in thought. Rain streams down the windows.
Background music begins.
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Cut to the mom, seen through the passenger side window. Rain streams down the glass. Her husband is in the driver’s seat and looks over at her.
VO Mom: I’ve got something to tell you.
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The car drives away.
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The mom and dad are sitting at a dining room table with their daughter.
VO Mom: I have cancer.
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Close-up of the daughter’s reflection in the glass tabletop. She is wringing her hands.
VO Daughter: Cancer?
VO Announcer: It only takes…
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The dad is giving his daughter a reassuring squeeze. She is processing the news.
VO Announcer: …one word to change everything.
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Cut to a close-up of the mom’s face as she reassures her daughter.
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The mom is touching her daughter’s face as she and the dad continue to reassure their daughter.
VO Announcer: It changes how others see you.
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Cut to a woman in a pink sweatshirt sitting in a dimly lit room. She is curled up on her sofa. Light streams through the windows.
VO Announcer: How you see yourself.
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Reverse angle of the same woman through the living room window. There is a faint knocking at the door and the woman turns her head.
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Cut to a man walking through an urban park in the sunshine. Water cascades in a fountain. He looks over to his right as something catches his eye.
VO Announcer: How you see the world.
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As the man walks, over his shoulder, there is an older couple sitting on a bench in the sun. They are smiling and feeding pigeons.
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Close-up of the older couple. They are smiling, enjoying the sunshine on their faces.
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Cut back to the walking man. He looks down, thinking about the older couple.
VO Announcer: And what you thought was important.
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Cut to a baseball field in the sunshine. There is a group of young girls practicing. In a line of players, one looks to her right, focused on something off-screen.
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The player is looking at her coach, sitting alone in the dugout. He is lost in thought while looking at his phone.
VO Announcer: But if cancer…
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Cut to a dark-haired woman standing in a doorway. She has a slight, encouraging smile on her face.
VO Announcer: …can change lives…
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With a reverse angle over the dark-haired woman’s shoulder, the woman in the pink sweatshirt is standing on the other side of the doorway. She smiles back at her dark-haired friend.
VO Announcer: …there are two words…
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Cut to an outdoor hospital courtyard. A blue-eyed woman is walking towards the man who had been walking through the park. She has a slight smirk on her face.
VO Announcer: …that can change cancer.
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Cut back to the baseball field. The young player runs over to her coach sitting in the dugout.
VO Announcer: Clinical…
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The coach looks up from his phone and smiles as he sees the young player.
VO Announcer: …trials.
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The coach leans forward toward the young player.
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The coach and player smile and talk to each other through the dugout fence.
VO Announcer: Two words that anyone…
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Cut to a wide shot of the baseball practice. The coach jogs out of the dugout.
VO Announcer: …can bring up.
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Players run by and the coach is directing them in a drill.
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Cut back to the older couple on the bench in the park. The older man throws birdseed to the pigeons.
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Close-up of the older woman looking up and smiling.
VO Announcer: Because…
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Cut back to the dining room scene. The mom is smiling.
VO Announcer: …when we’re…
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The dad and daughter are together at the dining room table, smiling back at the mom.
VO Announcer: …up against it,
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Cut to the woman from the living room. She out for a run with her friends. She is smiling in the sun.
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Cut back to the hospital courtyard, where the blue-eyed woman and the man from the park are hugging.
Announcer VO: …we need all the help…
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Close-up of the man’s face as the couple hugs. The man’s face moves slightly out of focus, as the SUPER comes on screen.
Announcer VO: …we can get.
SUPER: Cancer changes lives
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Camera stays on the man’s face, slightly out of focus, as the next SUPER comes on screen.
SUPER: Clinical trials can change cancer
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Close-up of the blue-eyed woman while the couple hugs. She looks up with a slight smile on her face.
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An all-red screen with a SUPER appears.
SUPER: Visit CancerClinicalTrials.Lilly.com
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Another all-red screen appears with the “Lilly A Medicine Company” logo in the center and the and LEGAL SUPER at the bottom of the screen.
Background music ends.
LEGAL SUPER: GP00001; Digital; 04/2025; EN. ©Lilly USA, LLC 2025. All rights reserved.
Why Clinical Trials Should Be Discussed in Cancer Care
Phase 3 cancer clinical trials give patients access to investigational treatments that have been through rigorous clinical and lab tests and are compared against standard treatments to determine if they have the potential to be better than what is available today.
Clinical trials offer more than just investigational treatment. People participating in a cancer clinical trial can receive additional care, including specialized attention and monitoring from a dedicated team of doctors and nurses connected to the study.
Starting the Conversation: The Importance of Discussing Clinical Trials at Diagnosis
Breaking Down Misconceptions About Clinical Trials
“Aren’t clinical trials only for patients who’ve run out of options?”
No. Many trials are open to patients at various stages of care, including those who are newly diagnosed.
“Will I get a placebo instead of treatment?”
When you join a cancer clinical trial, you receive care no matter what. In most cases, you will receive either a currently recommended treatment or an investigational treatment for your cancer.
“Are clinical trials safe?”
Cancer clinical trials undergo extensive review and oversight to prioritize patient safety. However, each clinical trial has different risks and benefits. And as each clinical trial volunteer is different, they will experience these risks and benefits in different ways. For example, one person may experience a side effect from the study medicine but another person might not.
Our Commitment to Expanding Access to Clinical Trials
We’re on a mission to increase awareness and break down barriers to clinical trial participation. Through advocacy, education, and partnership, we’re working to ensure that clinical trials become a routine part of every cancer care conversation.
Two Words That Can Make a Difference
“Clinical trials” are two words that could lead to more options, more understanding, and more hope. Every person dealing with a cancer diagnosis deserves to know about clinical trials as part of their care and treatment, at any point in the diagnosis journey, not just as a last resort.
Talk to your doctor. Ask about clinical trials. It might be the most important conversation you have.
Visit our clinical trial page to learn more about cancer clinical trial information including a trial matching tool.