Clinical trial · Interventional
Pain Management Support Study for Patients With Advanced Cancer
Mechanisms of Music Therapy to Palliate Pain in Patients With Advanced Cancer
- 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)
Chronic pain is one of the most feared symptoms in people with cancer. Insufficient relief from pharmacological treatments and the fear of side effects are important reasons for the growing use of complementary pain management approaches in cancer care. On such approach is music therapy. Although several studies have demonstrated that music therapy interventions can reduce pain in people with cancer, few studies have examined the therapeutic mechanisms that explain how music therapy interventions lead to improved pain management. The purpose of this study is to examine whether an interactive music therapy intervention improves psychological and social factors that play an important role in chronic pain management in people with advanced cancer. The findings will contribute towards the optimization of music therapy for palliation of chronic pain in people with advanced cancer.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Cancer | Malignant Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.78 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Music Therapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Verbal support | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Interactive Music Therapy
- description
- Six 45-minute individual interactive music therapy sessions.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Interactive Music Therapy
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Verbal-based support
- description
- Six 45-minute individual verbal support sessions
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Verbal support
Primary outcomes (4)
- measure
- Pain Intensity
- timeFrame
- through study completion, a maximum of 12 weeks
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * male or female outpatients with advanced cancer (Stage 3 \& 4; or relapse refractory patients for myeloma) * diagnosed with locally advanced cancer that has extended to organs/soft tissue or is impinging on or eroding the bone; or bone metastases or soft tissue metastasis * moderate to severe pain with an average intensity ≥4 on a 0-10 Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) * experiencing pain for ≥ 3 months * Karnofsky Performance score of ≥ 60 or the Eastern Cooperative Group Performance Status (ECOG) equivalent of ≤ 2 (i.e. requires occasional assistance, but is able to care for most of their personal needs) Exclusion Criteria: * expected survival ≤ 3 months * primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor or CNS metastatic disease that impairs concentration, memory, balance or focus that would preclude ability to participate in a 60 minute, recurring activity and completion of self-report measures * hematologic malignancies except for myeloma which causes significant bone pain * ≤ 3 weeks post-operation from start of study * active psychosis or dementia * inability to speak or write English * moderate to severe hearing impairment * current smoking * current alcohol dependence
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDBradt J, Leader A, Worster B, Myers-Coffman K, Bryl K, Biondo J, Schneible B, Cottone C, Selvan P, Zhang F. Music Therapy for Pain Management for People With Advanced Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychooncology. 2024 Oct;33(10):e70005. doi: 10.1002/pon.70005. PMID 39450934