Pancreatic surgeries, including pancreatoduodenectomy and distal pancreatectomy, represent intricate procedures known for their challenging post-operative courses. Patients endure considerable discomfort, marked by severe pain and heightened psychological distress, despite advancements in pharmacological management. Surgical recovery not only demands effective analgesia but also holistic strategies that address the multidimensional burdens of post-surgical convalescence. The therapeutic role of music in this context offers a compelling adjunctive approach, yet its underlying biological mechanisms, particularly at the molecular level, remain insufficiently characterized.
The study is groundbreaking in its attempt to bridge clinical music therapy with molecular epigenomics, aiming to decipher the genomic responses provoked by music interventions amid acute post-surgical pain. A persistent gap in existing research is the limited examination of gene expression changes attributable to music therapy, particularly in surgical oncology patients. To address this, the University Hospitals team crafted a carefully designed protocol that incorporated meticulous blood sample collection before and after the music-assisted relaxation sessions, laying a foundational framework for future mechanistic studies.
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Participants subjected to the music therapy intervention engaged in live sessions of guided relaxation intertwined with imagery, tailored to resonate with their unique recovery experiences. Importantly, the intervention extended beyond the live format, as patients continued to utilize recorded versions of the sessions throughout their hospitalization period. This continuity underscores a practical approach for integrating music therapy into routine care, enhancing the therapeutic environment with accessible, patient-controlled modalities.
In addition to subjective symptomatic evaluations, researchers attempted to collect dried blood spots at multiple time points relative to the intervention. While the success rate for acquiring usable blood samples hovered at 60%, the pilot data underscored several procedural limitations while highlighting areas for methodological refinement. These insights will be pivotal in optimizing biospecimen collection techniques, ensuring robust and reproducible data acquisition for downstream transcriptomic analyses.
Clinicians and investigators alike recognized the intrinsic value of music therapy as a holistic adjunct to conventional pain management. Dr. Richard S. Hoehn, a pancreatic surgeon at UH Seidman Cancer Center and co-author, emphasized the importance of elucidating the molecular pathways through which music exerts its beneficial effects. He articulated the potential of music therapy to transform the landscape of surgical aftercare by mitigating pain and fostering psychological well-being through mechanisms that remain to be fully understood.
Integral to the study’s success was the comprehensive patient engagement, with all participants completing the live intervention and contributing symptom measures throughout their recovery. This robust patient adherence not only accentuates the intervention’s acceptability but also provides rich qualitative and quantitative data that will inform future randomized controlled trials. Moreover, electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROs) facilitated efficient and real-time symptom tracking, further advancing the digital integration of patient-centered research.
The research team awarded special attention to refining future study designs based on pilot findings. Recommendations include broadening eligibility criteria to improve recruitment, ensuring the availability of music therapy staff across more days, extending the duration of music-assisted relaxation sessions, and upgrading blood collection methods beyond dried spots to more sophisticated formats. These adaptations aim to strengthen the rigor and scalability of subsequent trials evaluating the analgesic and genomic effects of music therapy.
Samuel Rodgers-Melnick, MPH, LPMT, MT-BC and principal investigator, highlighted the novelty of investigating music therapy specifically within pancreatic surgery populations—a cohort notoriously burdened by complex post-operative symptomatology. He also connected the study’s objectives to the broader interdisciplinary initiative ENSEMBLE, funded by the National Institutes of Health. This consortium aims to systematically decode the biological underpinnings of music-based pain interventions, thereby propelling the future of precision integrative medicine.
The clinical implications of such research extend far beyond the immediate patient populations studied. By integrating mechanistic insights with therapeutic efficacy, music therapy holds promise not only as a complementary tool in post-surgical pain management but also as a model for nonpharmacologic care strategies across diverse medical fields. Music’s capacity to modulate neural, psychological, and potentially genomic pathways invites a reexamination of how sensory modalities influence healing processes at the systemic level.
Furthermore, this work aligns seamlessly with the current healthcare paradigm shift toward holistic and patient-centered approaches. Providing options that mitigate opioid reliance while enhancing patient experiences represents a dual imperative. Dr. Kristi Artz, Vice President of Connor Whole Health, underscored how music therapy actively contributes to initiating the healing journey by reducing pain and anxiety. The study’s outcomes reaffirm the commitment of University Hospitals to innovate in integrative pain management through evidence-based, multidisciplinary strategies.
As the field advances, forthcoming research will likely illuminate specific gene expression patterns associated with acute reductions in pain and anxiety elicited by music therapy. These insights could catalyze the development of biologically tailored music interventions, optimized to harness genomic plasticity and improve clinical outcomes. The integration of -omics technologies with behavioral therapies exemplifies the frontier of personalized medicine, where mind-body interactions are decoded at unprecedented resolution.
In summation, the University Hospitals Connor Whole Health pilot study represents a critical milestone in validating the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of live music-assisted relaxation and imagery for pancreatic surgery patients. By successfully intertwining clinical practice with innovative molecular research methodologies, this work lays a vital foundation for transformative therapies that transcend traditional boundaries. The confluence of music, medicine, and molecular science heralds an exciting era of integrative care poised to redefine recovery and wellness.
Subject of Research: Music Therapy in Patients Undergoing Pancreatic Surgery; investigation of molecular mechanisms underlying analgesic effects through gene expression analysis.
Article Title: Music Therapy in Patients Undergoing Pancreatic Surgery (MUSIC PUPS): A Mixed Methods Pilot Study
News Publication Date: August 13, 2025
Web References:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27536130251368796
References:
Risser K, Block S, Surdam J, Yu H, Doh SJ, Bretz S, Hoehn RS, Rodgers-Melnick SN. Music Therapy in Patients Undergoing Pancreatic Surgery (MUSIC PUPS): A Mixed Methods Pilot Study. Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2025;14:27536130251368796. Epub 20250813. doi: 10.1177/27536130251368796. PubMed PMID: 40822036; PMCID: PMC12357015.
Image Credits: University Hospitals
Keywords: Pancreatic cancer, Music therapy, Post-operative pain, Gene expression, Integrative medicine, Surgical oncology, Nonpharmacologic pain management
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