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Can music interventions benefit people with cancer?
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The issue
The aim of the review
This review is an update of a previous Cochrane review from 2016, which included 52 studies. For this review update, we searched for additional trials studying the effect of music interventions on psychological and physical outcomes in people with cancer. We searched for studies up to April 2020.
What are the main findings?
We identified 29 new studies, so the evidence in this review update now rests on 81 studies with 5576 participants. Of the 81 studies, 74 trials included adults and 7 included children.
The findings suggest that music therapy and music medicine interventions may have a beneficial effect on anxiety, depression, hope, pain, fatigue, heart rate and blood pressure in adults with cancer. Music therapy but not music medicine interventions may improve adult patients' quality of life and levels of fatigue. We did not find evidence that music interventions improve mood, distress, or physical functioning, but only a few trials studied these outcomes. We could not draw any conclusions about the effect of music interventions on immunologic functioning, resilience, spiritual well-being or communication outcomes in adults because there were not enough trials looking at these aspects. Due to the small number of trials, we could not draw conclusions for children. Therefore, more research is needed.
Overall, the treatment benefits of music therapy interventions were more consistent across trials than those of music medicine interventions, leading to greater confidence in the treatment impact of music therapy interventions delivered by a trained music therapist.
No adverse effects of music interventions were reported.
Quality of the evidence:
Most trials were at high risk of bias, so these results need to be interpreted with caution. We did not identify any conflicts of interests in the included studies.
What are the conclusions?
We conclude that music interventions may have beneficial effects on anxiety, depression, hope, pain, and fatigue in adults with cancer. Furthermore, music may have a small positive effect on heart rate and blood pressure. Reduction of anxiety, depression, fatigue, relaxation, are important outcomes for people with cancer, as they have an impact on health and overall quality of life.
Music therapy and cancer
Music therapy uses music and sound to help express emotions and improve emotional and physical well-being.
Summary:
You don't need to be musically talented to do music therapy.
It can help you relax and improve your emotional and physical well-being.
Music therapy cannot cure, treat or prevent cancer.What is music therapy?
Music therapy is not about learning to sing, or play an instrument.
In a music therapy session, you might:
listen to music
move to music
sing
make music with simple instruments
write and discuss song lyrics
use guided imagery with musicMusic therapists work alongside other healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, speech therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists.
They may work with adults and children who have:
symptoms caused by physical illness or mental illness
side effects from cancer and its treatment
a terminal illness such as cancerWhy people with cancer use it?
One of the main reasons people with cancer use music therapy is because it makes them feel good. Listening to music can be calming and relaxing.
Music therapy can be a safe place for people to explore fear, anxiety, anger, and the range of emotional responses to living with cancer.
Some studies show that music therapy can help children with cancer to cope by encouraging them to cooperate and communicate.
What it involves?
You work with your music therapist to plan a program that suits your needs. You decide together how often you should have the therapy and how long each session will be.
Music therapy sessions usually last between 30 and 60 minutes. Your therapist might encourage you to play or listen to music at home between sessions.
You might have regular therapy for weeks or months. You may want to see your therapist on your own, or take part in group music therapy sessions.
Your relationship with your music therapist is very important. If you don’t feel comfortable with anything your therapist is doing, do talk to them about it.
Research into music therapy and cancer care.
Music therapy cannot cure, treat or prevent any type of disease, including cancer. But some research shows that music therapy can help people with cancer reduce their anxiety. It might also help to improve quality of life and reduce symptoms and side effects.
We don’t yet know about all the ways music can affect the body. But we do know that when music therapy is used in the right way for each person, it can help them to feel better. To learn more about its full benefits, we need larger trials across a wider range of cancers.
A Cochrane review in 2021 looked at all the studies using music therapy to help people with cancer. There were 81 trials with a total of 5576 people.
The results suggested that music therapy may help with anxiety, depression, hope, pain, and fatigue in adults with cancer. The design of many of the trials had limitations though. So the authors suggest more research is needed.
Side effects
Music therapy is generally very safe and has no side effects. But very loud music or particular types of music might irritate some people or make them feel uncomfortable.
The music might trigger strong reactions or evoke memories which could range from pleasant to painful. A music therapist is trained to support patients during these processes.
How much it costs
Some cancer centers and hospitals in the UK offer music therapy free of charge. Ask if it's available at the ward or center where you have your treatment.
If it isn’t, your doctors or nurses might be able to direct you to voluntary organizations that do, or do so at a low cost.
You can arrange music therapy sessions privately through the British Association of Music Therapists. Sessions usually cost around £40 an hour. It is very important that you see a registered therapist.
Finding a music therapist
There are around 800 music therapists in the UK. They are all trained musicians who have also studied music therapy at postgraduate level.
The title of music therapist is protected by UK law. In the UK, music therapists with a professional qualification must register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
You can only call yourself a music therapist if you have registered with the HCPC and taken a course that they recognize.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/music