Effect of a Music Intervention in Reducing Distress and Pain in Patients With Lung Cancer Undergoing Mini-invasive Surgery

Effect of a Music Intervention in Reducing Distress and Pain in Patients With Suspected or Diagnosed Lung Cancer Undergoing Mini-Invasive Surgery

This study aims at evaluating whether music therapy intervention is effective in decreasing psychological (distress) and physical symptoms (pain) in patients with suspected or diagnosed lung cancer undergoing minimally invasive lung surgery.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Lung Cancer (Suspected or Confirmed)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Music therapy intervention

Detailed Description

A diagnosis of cancer may result in extensive emotional, physical and social suffering. Moreover, surgical treatment of lung cancer represents itself a stressful event. It is important that cancer care incorporates services that help meet patients' psychological, social and spiritual needs. Music therapy interventions have been used to alleviate symptoms and treatment side effects in cancer patients and their efficacy has been demonstrated in various settings. Within the distinction between music therapy (a personalized approach based on the interaction with a trained music therapist) and music medicine (with pre-recorded music), the best efficacy results have been reported with music therapy.

The use of music listening is growing in the field of music therapy intervention because of the impact musical contents can have on physiological, psychological and behavioural levels.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate whether music therapy intervention is effective in decreasing psychological (distress) and physical symptoms (pain) in patients with suspected or diagnosed lung cancer undergoing minimally invasive lung surgery. Secondary objectives are the evaluation of the decrease of the serum cortisol as biomarker of stress and the request of additional doses of analgesics for pain control.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 74
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Luigi Tortola, PhD; Phone Number: +41 91 811 96 68; Email: luigi.tortola@eoc.ch
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Patrizia Froesch, MD; Phone Number: +41 91 811 48 40; Email: patrizia.froesch@eoc.ch

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Canton Ticino
    • Bellinzona, Canton Ticino, Switzerland, 6500
      • Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI)
      • Contact: Luigi Tortola, PhD; Phone Number: +41 91 811 96 68; Email: luigi.tortola@eoc.ch
      • Contact: Patrizia Froesch, MD; Phone Number: +41 91 811 48 40; Email: patrizia.froesch@eoc.ch

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Suspected or confirmed diagnosis of lung cancer
• Age ≥ 18 years
• Indication for lung resection through a minimally invasive surgery
• Signed written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Endocrinological disorders involving cortisol axis
• Chronic steroid intake > 10 mg/day
• Concomitant treatment with drugs against symptomatic anxiety and/or depression
• Partial or complete hearing loss
• Inability to follow the schedule of investigation
• Patient unwilling to refrain from actively listening to other music (e.g., via other personal devices/headphones) outside of the prescribed musical intervention defined by the study protocol during the hospitalization.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm A treated with classical music therapy and standard of care; Patients with suspected or diagnosed lung cancer undergoing minimally invasive lung resection will be treated with classical music therapy and standard of care.	Other: Music therapy intervention; Patient randomized to experimental Arm A will receive a classical music therapy intervention throughout the duration of their hospital stay for a minimally invasive lung resection.
No Intervention: Arm B treated with standard of care only; Patients with suspected or diagnosed lung cancer undergoing minimally invasive lung resection will be treated with standard of care only.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Level of distress	Change of the level of distress on the Distress thermometer	From the day of surgery until the day of discharge from the hospital (in average 6 days after surgery)
Pain intensity	Change of pain intensity on the numerical scale	From the day of surgery until the day of discharge from the hospital (in average 6 days after surgery)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum cortisol levels	Change in the levels of serum cortisol measured in the morning	From the day of surgery until the day of discharge from the hospital (in average 6 days after surgery)
Additional doses of analgesics for pain control	Number of additional doses of analgesics administered for pain control per day	From the day of surgery until the day of discharge from the hospital (in average 6 days after surgery)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): December 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 19, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 19, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pain; lung cancer; anxiety; music
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Mental Disorders; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain; Anxiety Disorders; Lung Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: IOSI-MUSICAL-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No