Tuinmann, G., Preissler, P., Böhmer, H., Suling, A., & Bokemeyer, C. (2017). The effects of music therapy in patients with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell support: A randomized pilot study. Psycho-Oncology, 26, 377–384.

Evaluate the effects of music therapy in addition to standard treatment in patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) plus autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) on quality of life, anxiety, and depression.

For the intervention group, a trained music therapist administered therapy two times per week for at least 20 minutes, based on the individual needs of each patient established prior to therapy, and each session included a debrief or aftertalk. Quality of life was assessed prior to therapy, weekly during treatment, at discharge, and again three months later.

• N = 66   
• AGE: Mean = 50 years (all older than 18 years)
• MALES: 43 
• FEMALES: 23 
• CURRENT TREATMENT: Chemotherapy, other
• KEY DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Malignancies treated with HDC plus ASCT with an expected inpatient stay of two weeks or longer
• OTHER KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: No evidence of participation in other clinical trials, immobilization, brain metastasis, experiencing a severe psychotic episode, or having major depression. Seventy percent of patients in the intervention group had multiple myeloma versus 40% in the control group

• SITE: Single site   
• SETTING TYPE: Inpatient    
• LOCATION: Department of Oncology and Hematology of the University Medical center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany

• PHASE OF CARE: Active anti-tumor treatment
• APPLICATIONS: Elder care

Randomized controlled trial

EORTC QLQ-C30, HADS-D, Karnofsky performance score

Quality of life declined less in the intervention group (8.1 points) versus control (11.4 points), difference between groups was not significant (p = 0.394)

Because of multiple limitations of study, the authors declared their findings to be preliminary.

• Small sample (< 100)
• Baseline sample/group differences of import
• Selective outcomes reporting
• Measurement validity/reliability questionable
• Subject withdrawals ≥ 10%  
• Other limitations/explanation: 29 of the 66 patients involved in the study were assessed in follow up (high dropout rate); extracted data from the large number of patients with multiple myeloma to report positive effects of music therapy, but when this data was considered, results were no longer significant.

Opportunity for further research