Harmonising Hope: Impact of Music Therapy on Cancer Pain and Palliative Care

Music therapy can be a harmonising hope for cancer patients under palliative care to overcome fear, anxiety, anger, depression, pain and the range of emotional responses. Music therapists contribute to a comprehensive approach to providing holistic, patient-centred care to mainstream medical treatment. Hence, the study aims to understand the clinical impact of music therapy in cancer pain and palliative care.

After approval from the Institutional Review Committee and getting informed consent, a total of 102 individual music therapy sessions were conducted for 43 patients with cancer hospitalised under palliative care. Each patient received an average of 2-4 music therapy sessions by a certified music therapist. Music therapy sessions were based on clinician referrals, hospitalisation status and musicality profile. Pain scores, anxiety scores, mood scores and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation levels were evaluated using a visual analogue scale before and immediately after the sessions. Data were statistically analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.

The study indicates that cancer patients undergoing pain and palliative care experienced notable outcomes from music therapy sessions, including a significant decrease in anxiety and pain perception, along with enhancements in mood and motivation (P < 0.01).

To sum up, the ongoing study and understanding of the impact of music therapy underscore its meaningful and promising role in improving the overall quality of life for cancer patients within a holistic care approach.