Clinical trial · Interventional
Tenovus Cancer Choirs Study: the Benefits of Singing for Those Affected by Cancer
Tenovus Cancer Choirs: the Effect of Choir Singing on Psychological and Immune Responses of Cancer Patients, Staff and Carers
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
'Sing With Us' choirs are an initiative established in Wales by Tenovus Cancer Care to provide social support and improve mental wellbeing amongst those affected by cancer, whether patients, carers or staff. Research has already demonstrated that these choirs can reduce depression and anxiety amongst participants and improve social support networks and quality of life as well as preliminary evidence that they can reduce levels of stress hormones and improve immune function. The aim of this study is to establish more about the psychological benefits of regular choir singing and explore whether the biological changes noted in pilot studies can be sustained over time. This could identify whether choirs have the potential to optimise health in people affected by cancer, helping to put patients in the best position to receive treatment or maintain remission and supporting those who care for someone with cancer, whether professionally or informally.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenovus Cancer Choir | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Tenovus Cancer Choir
- description
- Participants will be asked to attend 12 weeks of weekly choir rehearsals lasting approximately 1 hour. Following the first 12 weeks, participants will no longer be asked to attend rehearsals, but are welcome to do so. Whether or not they do and how many they attend will be measured as an outcome variable to assess whether initial 3-month involvement leads to long-term engagement.
- interventionNames
- Other: Tenovus Cancer Choir
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Control (no choir) Group
- description
- If eligible participants are unable to make the dates and times or live too far away but fulfil all the same criteria (including expressing an interest in singing) they will become part of the control group. This will involve the same data collection as the Cancer Choir Group but participants will not sing in a weekly choir.
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * COHORT A: (i) Patients with stage I-III breast cancer up to 24 months post diagnosis * (ii) Patients with diagnosed prostate cancer on active surveillance * (iii) Patients with colorectal cancer stages I-III up to 24 months post diagnosis * COHORT B: (i) Members of staff at a hospital * (ii) People who care for somebody with cancer, whether formally or informally * (iii) People who have lost a family member or somebody they cared for to cancer in the last 3 years * COHORT C: anybody who is affected by cancer and has joined the choir General exclusion Criteria: * Participants aged under the age of 18 * Level of English insufficient to provide informed consent or complete the psychological questionnaires * Refusal to participate * Already engaged in a weekly group choir * Started a formal course of psychological therapy in the past 1 month or scheduled to start in the next 12 weeks * Started any new medication for anxiety or depression in the last month Additional exclusion criteria for cohort A: * Currently having chemotherapy or radiotherapy or less than 90 days since last session * Scheduled for surgery in the next 12 weeks or less than 90 days post surgery * Have a current diagnosis of an additional immune condition e.g. lupus * Currently being treated with steroids or immunosuppressive medication * Participants who are pregnant
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDFancourt D, Finn S, Warran K, Wiseman T. Group singing in bereavement: effects on mental health, self-efficacy, self-esteem and well-being. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2022 Oct;12(e4):e607-e615. doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2018-001642. Epub 2019 Jun 26. PMID 31243022