Music is being considered less as background sound and more as a structured supportive tool in cancer care, according to a review of clinical research covering psychological symptoms, treatment side effects and postoperative rehabilitation. The review, published in Holistic Integrative Oncology, examined studies identified in Chinese and English databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, FMRS and Web of Science, through July 2024. Across the literature, the authors found that music-based interventions were generally associated with improvements in anxiety, pain, sleep, fatigue, treatment-related distress and aspects of cognitive function. The approach does not replace surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or other cancer treatments. Instead, it is presented as a non-drug adjunct intended to make demanding treatment pathways more tolerable and to support quality of life.
The review places music intervention within a biopsychosocial model of medicine, which recognizes that cancer affects biological systems as well as emotions, behavior, relationships and daily functioning. A diagnosis can trigger fear and uncertainty, while repeated procedures, treatment toxicity, financial pressure and concerns about recurrence can intensify psychological distress. These experiences can influence sleep, pain perception, treatment participation and recovery. The authors distinguish among music therapy delivered by trained professionals, medical music listening in which healthcare staff provide recorded music, and recreational musical activities led by musicians or clinical personnel. The distinctions matter because the interventions differ in intensity, personalization, therapeutic goals and the expertise required to deliver them.
Evidence summarized in the review suggests that the most consistent benefits occur when music is integrated with clinical assessment and patient preference rather than imposed as a generic soundtrack. During chemotherapy, for example, patients may listen to selected music for about an hour while receiving routine care. In studies of procedures such as peripherally inserted central catheter placement, sessions lasting about 30 minutes were associated with lower anxiety and changes in vital signs, including diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. A randomized study involving 304 people with lung cancer reported benefits when music accompanied routine care during catheter placement and afterward. Research involving children with leukemia similarly linked music therapy during catheter treatment with improved mood, less pain and reduced sedative use, although the review emphasizes that intervention designs and outcomes vary.
Music may also help patients manage the cognitive and emotional burden that accompanies cancer treatment. Chemotherapy-associated cognitive difficulties can involve memory, attention, learning and executive function, and these changes may compound the distress of diagnosis. The review cites a randomized study of 27 breast cancer survivors in which eight weeks of either meditation or classical music listening improved cognitive function, memory and verbal fluency. It also discusses postoperative brain-tumor research in which cognitive training combined with music intervention was associated with better cognitive function, sleep and psychological status. The proposed value of music in these settings is partly communicative: singing, listening, guided imagery or improvisation can give patients a manageable way to express emotions, focus attention and participate actively in their care.
Symptom control is the largest area covered by the review. Anxiety and fear can rise before imaging, surgery, chemotherapy or other procedures, particularly when patients must remain still in an enclosed or noisy environment. Music-guided relaxation before or during a procedure may reduce arousal and help patients complete care. In one study of 750 outpatient chemotherapy patients, participants who selected their own music experienced improvements in negative emotions and pain measures compared with routine care. A separate pilot trial combining face-to-face music listening with progressive muscle relaxation for three weeks reported lower anxiety, depression and stress at the end of treatment, with benefits still evident at follow-up. However, the evidence is not uniform: a meta-analysis of six randomized trials found improvements in anxiety and quality of life before chemotherapy but no substantial effect on depression.
Studies of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting point to a similarly promising but qualified role. Antiemetic drugs remain central to prevention and treatment, yet nausea is influenced by anticipation, anxiety, sensory cues and a patient’s interpretation of symptoms. The review describes a meta-analysis of 10 studies that found music reduced the incidence and severity of anticipated nausea and vomiting, while noting continuing uncertainty about acute symptoms during or immediately after chemotherapy. Other analyses reported lower nausea and vomiting scores and a reduced likelihood of at least grade-one symptoms when individualized music was added to standard nursing care, particularly in gastrointestinal cancer. The findings suggest that timing, musical preference, therapeutic guidance and the patient’s prior experience may all shape the response, making repeated assessment important.
Pain, sleep and fatigue are additional targets. In palliative care, music selected according to patient preference and combined with medication was associated with lower pain and greater comfort in a randomized study of 60 people. After lung-cancer surgery, music therapy alongside intravenous sufentanil analgesia was linked to lower pain scores and reduced dose and administration frequency over the first postoperative day. Music does not act as a substitute for analgesics, but relaxation and attentional engagement may alter how pain is perceived and help patients use other treatments more effectively. Sleep studies have reported benefits after sessions of roughly 30 minutes; a meta-analysis of hospitalized patients found improved sleep quality, and studies in breast and lung cancer suggested additional gains when music was combined with exercise or psychological support.
The review also describes music as a possible bridge between symptom management and physical rehabilitation. After breast-cancer surgery, programs combining music-guided relaxation with limb exercises were associated with improved shoulder movement, reduced swelling and fewer discomfort symptoms. In lung rehabilitation, music can provide rhythm or structure for breathing exercises, relaxation and vocal activities. Evidence from pulmonary rehabilitation, cardiothoracic surgery and postoperative non-small-cell lung cancer care suggests potential improvements in respiratory muscle performance, lung expansion, functional indices and quality of life. These interventions require clinical judgment: therapists must consider cardiovascular and pulmonary function, pain during breathing, the prescribed inhalation-to-exhalation ratio, fatigue and the patient’s preferences. Severe respiratory or cardiovascular problems require coordination with the treating physician.
Combining music with other supportive approaches may produce broader effects than music alone. The review cites studies pairing it with mindfulness-based stress reduction, progressive muscle relaxation, aromatherapy, acupressure and aerobic exercise. In patients with osteosarcoma, music combined with mindfulness practices was associated with improvements in pain, anxiety and sleep. Among women undergoing breast-cancer treatment, aromatherapy plus music relaxation performed better for perioperative pain and anxiety than either intervention alone. Yet the authors caution that many studies are small, use different musical formats and measure short-term outcomes, making direct comparison difficult. Music intervention should therefore be viewed as patient-centered supportive care, not an anticancer treatment or a guaranteed method of changing survival. Larger, rigorously designed trials are needed to establish which patients benefit, which delivery methods work best, how often sessions should occur and whether gains persist. For now, the review argues that music offers a relatively simple, safe and adaptable addition to multidisciplinary oncology care when integrated with medical treatment and individualized assessment.
The clinical rationale for these interventions extends beyond distraction. Within the biopsychosocial framework described by the review, music can engage emotional, cognitive and social dimensions of illness at the same time. It may provide a familiar structure during periods in which diagnosis and treatment feel unpredictable, while also creating an avenue for communication when patients find direct discussion difficult. In a therapeutic setting, a patient’s responses to a song, rhythm or musical activity can help reveal distress, preferences and changing needs. This makes music potentially relevant not only to symptom relief but also to the human relationship at the center of supportive oncology.
Delivery should be matched to the purpose of care. Passive listening may be practical in an infusion unit, before a procedure or during rest, whereas music therapy involves a qualified practitioner who adapts the session and uses music within a defined treatment process. Active approaches, such as singing or other guided musical participation, may encourage agency and interaction, but they are not interchangeable with recorded music. The review’s comparison of studies found more consistently favorable findings for interventions provided by trained music therapists, while results for medical music listening were less uniform. This distinction is important when hospitals interpret evidence or plan services.
Patient choice is another clinically meaningful variable. Musical familiarity, cultural background, age, language, prior experiences and current mood can influence whether a session feels calming, irritating or emotionally overwhelming. The review therefore supports flexible strategies rather than a single preferred genre or universal protocol. Clinicians can ask what the patient normally listens to, whether music is welcome at that moment and whether listening should be uninterrupted or combined with conversation, breathing practice or rehabilitation. Patients should also be able to stop an intervention, particularly when music evokes unwanted memories or increases discomfort.
Implementation is best understood as part of coordinated supportive care rather than an isolated activity. Oncology nurses, physicians, rehabilitation professionals, palliative-care teams and music therapists may use different observations to determine whether a session is helping. Repeated assessment can include the patient’s reported anxiety, pain, nausea, sleep or fatigue, together with participation in treatment and functional recovery. Such monitoring can identify when music is useful and when another intervention is needed. It also helps separate immediate comfort from longer-term outcomes, a necessary distinction because the reviewed studies varied in intervention length, cancer type, setting and outcome measurement.
The review’s findings support continued clinical investigation, but they do not establish that music directly alters tumor biology or reliably extends survival. Most of the evidence concerns patient-reported symptoms, psychological states, physiological responses or rehabilitation measures. Future studies would benefit from clearer descriptions of therapist training, session content, timing, dose, patient selection and usual-care comparisons. Consistent outcome measures and longer follow-up could clarify whether short-term reductions in distress translate into sustained improvements in functioning, adherence or quality of life. Until then, music is most appropriately offered as an individualized, low-burden complement to evidence-based cancer treatment and palliative care.
Subject of Research: Clinical use of music interventions to support psychological, physical and rehabilitation outcomes in cancer patients
Article Title: The integrated application of music intervention in clinical practice for cancer patients
Article References: Zhang, F., Li, X., Wang, J., Ma, M., Xu, Y., & Hong, L. (2026). The integrated application of music intervention in clinical practice for cancer patients. Holistic Integrative Oncology, 5(1), Article 71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44178-026-00271-y
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s44178-026-00271-y
Keywords: music therapy, cancer care, integrative oncology, symptom management, anxiety, pain, sleep, chemotherapy, rehabilitation, quality of life, integrated, application
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Scienmag. (August 29, 2026). How Music Is Moving Into Cancer Care as a Supportive Therapy. https://scienmag.com/how-music-is-moving-into-cancer-care-as-a-supportive-therapy/
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Tags: anxietyapplicationbiopsychosocial model of music in oncologycancer carechemotherapyclinical research on music therapy in cancer careemotionalimpact of music on sleep and fatigue in cancer patientsimproving quality of life through music during cancer treatmentintegratedintegrative oncologymusic listening as adjunct to chemotherapy and radiotherapymusic therapyMusic therapy in cancer caremusic-based interventions for pain and anxiety managementnon-drug interventions for cancer treatment side effectspainQuality of Liferehabilitationrole of professional music therapists in oncologysleepstructured music interventions for postoperative rehabilitationsupportive therapy for psychological symptoms in cancer patientssymptom management
