Music Therapy Program for Patients in Palliative Care (MUSPAL360)

Hospitalized patients with advanced cancer often experience a heavy burden of physical, emotional, and spiritual symptoms that affect their quality of life. This study will evaluate whether a structured, three-session music therapy program called MUSPAL360 can be feasibly delivered to hospitalized adult patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care at Hospital Universitario Austral (HUA). MUSPAL360 includes three sessions delivered over about one week during hospitalization: Music therapy combined with virtual reality, focused on support and relaxation. Selection of personally meaningful songs, focused on communication and expression. Creation of a musical life story based on chronological biographical questions, focused on transformation. Family caregivers may participate in the sessions if the patient agrees. All participants receive standard palliative care in addition to the music therapy program; there is no control group and no randomization. This is a feasibility study, not a study designed to test whether the program works. The main goals are to determine the proportion of eligible patients, the proportion who consent to participate, how many complete each session, how complete the collected data are, and whether any adverse events occur. The study also collects preliminary, exploratory information on symptom burden and spiritual wellbeing before and after the program, to help plan the sample size of a future confirmatory study. The researchers plan to enroll a minimum of 40 hospitalized patients, anticipating substantial attrition between sessions due to the clinical course of advanced illness in this population.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adult patients ≥18 years of age with advanced cancer, defined using the NECPAL-CCOMS instrument Hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Service or the Integral Care Unit (UCIA) of HUA and attended by the Palliative Care team Expected hospital stay of at least 7 consecutive days at the time of inclusion (per treating medical team's judgment) Willing to participate and able to sign Informed Consent after receiving a full explanation from the Principal Investigator At least one symptom scoring ≥7 points on the ESAS-r scale Able to maintain alertness and adequate responsiveness during 30-45 minute sessions Able to maintain a bed position of at least 45° for use of the virtual reality headset No cognitive impairment, defined as 0-2 errors on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ-Pfeiffer), with correction for educational level per the original instrument Functional hearing sufficient to listen to music (with or without hearing aids)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients in active agonal phase (last 48-72 hours of life, per medical team's judgment) Active, uncontrolled delirium, assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) Epilepsy or history of photosensitive seizures Requiring palliative sedation for refractory symptoms Strict contact isolation precluding entry of musical instruments and equipment into the room

• BACKGROUNDDneaster D, Dileo C. Levels of practice in music therapy at the end of life. In: Dileo C, Loewy J, editors. Music Therapy at the End of Life. Cherry Hill: Jeffrey Books; 2005.
• BACKGROUNDIturri A, Najun M, Vazquez N, Alonso-Babarro A. Music therapy interventions on symptom management in adults with advanced cancer - multisession longitudinal impact: systematic review. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2026 Aug 28;16(5):1034-1042. doi: 10.1136/spcare-2025-005913. PMID 41922094
• BACKGROUNDIturri A, Bertella A, Dovidas MN, Spector J, Alonso Babarro A. Music Therapy Combined with Virtual Reality Reduces Prevalent Symptoms in Adult Patients with Advanced Cancer: Randomized Clinical Trial. J Palliat Med. 2026 May;29(5):594-601. doi: 10.1177/10966218251407902. Epub 2026 Jan 9. PMID 42219716