The partnership, now in its second year, features a limited-edition T-shirt and the Body Check Cup in order to encourage more cancer screenings.
April 22 2025
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, which means hockey fans will be glued to their TVs for the next two months watching all the action unfold.
As it pertains to AstraZeneca, the British pharma giant is hoping the excitement around the hockey matches will also lead to increased awareness about the importance of getting screened for cancer.
AstraZeneca, a longtime partner of the NHL through the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, has reupped for the second year of the Get Body Checked Against Cancer partnership.
Last year, the drugmaker tapped then-New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba to star in a pair of ads that ran throughout the playoffs alongside his mom, Kristy.
For 2025, the effort features a limited-edition T-shirt and the Body Check Cup as incentives to encourage cancer screenings.
According to Mohit Manrao, SVP of the U.S. oncology business unit at AstraZeneca, there are a few statistics that underscore why the company has made the campaign a priority and doubled down on a second go at it this year.
He said that last year, approximately 2 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer and 600,000 died because of cancer.
“[Cancer] is an ever-increasing trend and what we are also seeing is that not only is it increasing, but it’s increasing in younger populations and in cancer types that we know are screenable,” he said, singling out lung, breast, prostate and cervical cancers, among others.
While the incidents of cancer are increasing, many Americans remain unaware of cancer screening options.
Around 65% of Americans aged 21 and older are not up to date on at least one routine cancer screening.
“Another stat that came out from our survey indicated that only one in four people knew that lung cancer screening exists,” Manrao continues. “The goal for this campaign is to get the word out in the community about risk factors, about screening eligibility and then encourage people to take action.”
Building off the TV commercials with the Troubas, this year’s ad spot features sportscaster, podcast host and hockey fan Erin Andrews.
Manrao called Andrews — who is also a cervical cancer survivor — a major advocate for proactive screenings given how her cervical cancer was detected early in the process through a routine physical exam.
“She has seen it happen to her and she’s benefited from early detection,” he said. “She overcame it with treatment, is now back to living an active life and has become a huge advocate.”
A post shared by Erin Andrews (@erinandrews)
Among the steps that Get Body Checked Against Cancer is using to spread their screening message this year is a limited-edition Screen t-shirt from Andrews’ popular Wear by EA brand.
The shirt features the Screen logo and is designed to inspire people to, as the campaign suggests, get body checked against cancer.
Though the shirt quickly sold out on NHLshop.com, Manrao noted that it can still be purchased from the NHL Shop in New York.
Another addition to this year’s campaign is the Body Check Cup.
Through this initiative, visitors to Getbodychecked.com could enter a league-wide challenge to determine which NHL team had the most fans committed to talking to their doctor about recommended cancer screenings.
By pledging to get body checked, fans were also entered for the chance to win prizes, including a trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Ultimately, fans of the Chicago Blackhawks won the cup.
When asked to assess the campaign’s effectiveness, Manrao said these subcomponent challenges have helped move the screening numbers in the right direction on multiple fronts.
He noted that the socioeconomic determinants of health often get in the way of disease care, as does a lack of awareness, widespread stigmatization, misperceptions and fear.
As with many awareness campaigns, highlighting a topic that is too often underdiscussed with activations has the potential to lead people to explore their treatment options.
In this case, selling limited-edition t-shirts or stoking team rivalries is all designed to get more people screened for cancer.
“In many cultures, cancer is not a topic people want to discuss. Even those who have been diagnosed with cancer often don’t want to share about their experiences in their workplaces. The stigma persists,” Manrao said.
That’s also where Andrews as well as Jacob and Kristy Trouba can play an important role by delivering a personal message and forming a deeper connection with the target audience.
Ultimately, Manrao said he wants people to take away two key lessons from this campaign: timing is everything and cancer is not a death sentence if identified early.
“First, just like a well-timed body check on the ice can save a game, a well-timed body check with a doctor can save your own or a loved one’s life,” he said. “Second, cancer today is screenable, treatable and survivable.”
This story first appeared on MM+M.
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