Effects of Music Therapy on Anxiety and Distress Levels During Radionuclide Treatment in Prostate Cancer Patients (MUSIC-PRT)

March 7, 2026 updated by: Esra Uslu Tanış, Dokuz Eylul University

This interventional study aimed to evaluate the effects of music therapy on anxiety and distress levels in patients with prostate cancer undergoing radionuclide therapy. A total of 60 patients who met the eligibility criteria were included in the study. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group or a control group.

Patients in the intervention group listened to music through headphones during the radionuclide treatment session, while patients in the control group received standard care without a music intervention. Music selections included various types of non-verbal music such as classical music, Turkish classical music, and other instrumental genres. Participants were allowed to select their preferred music from a predefined list.

Psychological distress and anxiety levels were assessed using the Distress Thermometer and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Measurements were obtained before the treatment session and again after completion of the radionuclide therapy. The study evaluated whether listening to music during treatment could reduce anxiety and distress levels in patients receiving radionuclide therapy for prostate cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

ntervention and Implementation Eligible patients undergoing radionuclide therapy in the nuclear medicine unit were evaluated for participation in the study. After receiving information about the study and providing written informed consent, participants were allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. The first eligible patient was assigned to the intervention group and the second patient to the control group. This sequence was continued until a total of 60 patients were included in the study.

Patients in the intervention group listened to music during radionuclide therapy, while patients in the control group received standard care without music intervention.

Music Intervention The music intervention consisted of listening to instrumental, non-verbal music through headphones during radionuclide therapy. Participants were allowed to choose their preferred music from a categorized list including classical music, Turkish classical music, Turkish makam music (Uşşak, Rast, Zirgüle, Hüseyni), jazz music, and other instrumental music genres.

Music playlists were prepared according to patient preferences prior to the treatment session. Participants were instructed on how to use the headphones and how to adjust the volume to a comfortable level. The music was played continuously during the treatment session for approximately 20-40 minutes.

Individual music preference was considered an important factor in the intervention. Therefore, patients were allowed to select music genres that they felt most comfortable with. Only instrumental or lyric-free music was used to minimize distraction and promote relaxation.

Intervention Protocol Intervention Group Before radionuclide therapy, participants completed a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics. Baseline levels of anxiety and distress were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Distress Thermometer.

During radionuclide therapy, patients listened to their selected music through headphones for approximately 20-40 minutes. At the end of the treatment session, the Distress Thermometer and HADS were administered again to assess post-treatment anxiety and distress levels.

Control Group Patients in the control group received standard care without music intervention. Before radionuclide therapy, participants completed the sociodemographic and disease-related questionnaire as well as baseline assessments using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Distress Thermometer.

At the end of the treatment session, the same assessment tools were administered again to evaluate post-treatment anxiety and distress levels.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Balçova
      • Izmir, Balçova, Turkey (Türkiye), 35330
        • Dokuz Eylul University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria Male patients aged 18 years or older Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer Patients receiving the first course of radionuclide therapy Patients without hearing or speech problems Patients not receiving psychiatric treatment (not using anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications) Patients who are not in the terminal stage of the disease Patients who have and are able to use a smartphone with an Android or iOS operating system Patients who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study and provided written informed consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Music Therapy Group
Patients in this group listened to self-selected instrumental music through headphones during radionuclide therapy. The music was chosen according to the patient's preference from a categorized list of non-verbal music types. Music was played for approximately 20-40 minutes during the treatment session.
Behavioral: Music Therapy
Listening to instrumental music through headphones during radionuclide therapy for approximately 20-40 minutes based on patient preference.
No Intervention: control group
Patients in this group received standard care during radionuclide therapy without any music intervention. Anxiety and distress levels were assessed using the same measurement tools as in the intervention group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Anxiety Level
Time Frame: Baseline (before radionuclide therapy) and immediately after completion of each radionuclide therapy session, assessed over three treatment cycles
Anxiety levels were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The scale was administered before radionuclide therapy and again after completion of the treatment session to evaluate changes in anxiety levels between the intervention and control groups.
Baseline (before radionuclide therapy) and immediately after completion of each radionuclide therapy session, assessed over three treatment cycles

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Psychological Distress Level
Time Frame: Baseline (before radionuclide therapy) and immediately after completion of each radionuclide therapy session, assessed over three treatment cycles
Distress levels will be assessed using the Distress Thermometer, which ranges from 0 (no distress) to 10 (extreme distress). Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress.
Baseline (before radionuclide therapy) and immediately after completion of each radionuclide therapy session, assessed over three treatment cycles

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Dokuz Eylul University

Investigators

  • Study Director: Ezgi Karadağ, Prof, Dokuz Eylül University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

September 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 7, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DokuzEU-SBE-EUT-02 (Other Identifier: Dokuz Eylul University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared to protect participant confidentiality.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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