Anxiety in Women Receiving Radiotherapy for Cancer: Music Is Not Enough

Journal

International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics

Year

2020

Abstract

Purpose/Objective(s): The incidence of anxiety is high in patients undergoing radiotherapy regardless of a pre-existing anxiety condition. Women are at particular risk of psychosocial decline during radiotherapy. One study demonstrated an improvement in anxiety in patients who received music therapy during radiotherapy. This study seeks to validate those results and document the frequency of high anxiety in women receiving radiotherapy in our department. Materials/Methods: This is an institutional review board-approved prospective randomized trial of music versus no music during the first radiotherapy treatment. Anxiety was evaluated before and after treatment using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Symptom Distress Thermometer (SDT). Patients randomized to music selected their preferred music genre, which was played on speakers placed in the treatment vault. Results: 102 female patients were enrolled (51 in the music group and 51 in the no-music group). The most common site of disease was breast cancer (54), followed by head and neck (12), lung (11), and CNS (10). The percent change in mean STAI score was -17% in the music group and -10% in the no-music group (p = 0.1219). The percent change in the mean SDT score was -14% in the music group and -0.4% in the no-music group (p = 0.1372). Conversion from high to low anxiety on the STAI was observed in 33% of patients in the music group compared to 22% in the no-music group (p = 0.6363) and on the SDT was observed in 17% in the music group and 13% in the no-music group (p = 0.8567). The incidence of high anxiety before radiotherapy in all 102 patients was 47% and 24% after the first radiotherapy treatment session (p

Music and Health Institute Terms

Anxiety; Breast Cancer; Cancer; Music Therapy; Radiation Therapy; Symptom Management

Indexed Terms

controlled study; human; randomized controlled trial; central nervous system; conference abstract; prospective study; major clinical study; drug therapy; State Trait Anxiety Inventory; cancer patient; head and neck cancer; thermometer; cancer radiotherapy; distress syndrome; radiotherapy; incidence; breast cancer; institutional review; lung

Study Type

Randomized Controlled Trial; Quantitative Methods

Document Type

Article

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