Clinical trial · Interventional
Music Therapy's Effect on Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy
The Effect of Music Therapy on the Radiotherapy Experience of Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Randomised Controlled Trial
- 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)
The goal of this randomized controlled clinical study is to learn about the effects of music therapy on anxiety, stress, pain, and patient satisfaction in cancer patients who are newly starting radiotherapy (radiation treatment). The main questions it aims to answer are: Can music therapy lower the levels of anxiety and stress in patients receiving radiotherapy? Can music therapy improve the pain felt during the radiotherapy experience and overall satisfaction? Researchers will compare patients receiving standard radiotherapy (control group) with patients receiving music therapy alongside their radiotherapy (experimental group). Participants (72 total) will: Be 18 years and older and newly starting curative radiotherapy. Answer short surveys (STAI-SF, SDT, VAS) to measure their anxiety, stress, and pain levels before and after treatment. Participants in the experimental group will receive a 15-20 minute music therapy session consisting of meditative and instrumental music during their first radiotherapy session. This study aims to provide reliable data to guide clinical practice by showing whether music therapy offers a multifaceted approach to managing the psychological and physical challenges associated with cancer treatment.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
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 |
| Radiotherapy | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music Therapy | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Standard Care (in control arm) | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Music Therapy Group (Experimental Arm)
- description
- Description: Consists of patients receiving curative radiotherapy (RT) who receive the music therapy intervention in addition to standard care to improve their radiotherapy experience.
- interventionNames
- Other: Music Therapy
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Control Group (Standard Care Arm)
- description
- Description: Consists of patients receiving curative radiotherapy (RT) who receive only the standard radiation oncology care as per hospital protocol during their treatment.
- interventionNames
- Other: Standard Care (in control arm)
Primary outcomes (2)
- measure
- Change in Anxiety Level (STAI-SF)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Must be a cancer patient 18 years of age or older. * Must be newly starting curative external radiotherapy. * Must volunteer to participate in the study and sign the Informed Consent form. Exclusion Criteria: * Having an advanced stage psychiatric disorder (e.g., schizophrenia). * Having hearing loss. * Having a prior history of an adverse reaction to music therapy. * Receiving radiotherapy for palliative (symptom relief) purposes. * Having received radiotherapy previously (for reasons such as brachytherapy, a different type of cancer, or recurrence).
References
Publications (11)
- BACKGROUNDYang HF, Chang WW, Chou YH, Huang JY, Liao YS, Liao TE, Tseng HC, Chang ST, Chen HL, Ke YF, Tsai PF, Chan HM, Chang BJ, Hwang YT, Tsai HY, Lee YC. Impact of background music listening on anxiety in cancer patients undergoing initial radiation therapy: a randomized clinical trial. Radiat Oncol. 2024 Jun 11;19(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s13014-024-02460-3. PMID 38862982
- BACKGROUNDWilson JM, Franqueiro AR, Edwards RR, Chai PR, Schreiber KL. Individuals with fibromyalgia report greater pain sensitivity than healthy adults while listening to their favorite music: the contribution of negative affect. Pain Med. 2024 May 2;25(5):352-361. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnae005. PMID 38291916
- BACKGROUNDTerzi, E. (2022). The effect of listening to music with or without patient selection on pain during cesarean section and its contribution to anesthesia technicians. Journal of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, 39(3), 786-792.
- BACKGROUNDTao WW, Jiang H, Tao XM, Jiang P, Sha LY, Sun XC. Effects of Acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Five-Element Music Therapy on Symptom Management and Quality of Life for Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016 Apr;51(4):728-747. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.11.027. Epub 2016 Feb 12. PMID 26880252
- BACKGROUNDGulbahar Ates S, Demirel BB, Kekilli E, Ozturk E, Ucmak G. Primary tumor heterogeneity on pre-treatment [68Ga]Ga-PSMA PET/CT for the prediction of biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer. Rev Esp Med Nucl Imagen Mol (Engl Ed). 2024 Nov-Dec;43(6):500032. doi: 10.1016/j.remnie.2024.500032. Epub 2024 Aug 2. PMID 39097169
- BACKGROUNDHewis J. Music and Music Therapy in the Medical Radiation Sciences. J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2018 Dec;49(4):360-364. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2018.09.009. Epub 2018 Oct 23. No abstract available. PMID 30514551
- BACKGROUNDJiang X, Gao J, Zheng Y. Effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine music therapy on anxiety and depression emotions of lung cancer patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Mar 26;100(12):e25040. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000025040.