Behavior Change Wheel-Based Music Listening for Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairment in Breast Cancer Patients (BCW-MUSIC)

June 7, 2026 updated by: Weijuan Yang, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University

Effect of a Behavior Change Wheel-Based Music Listening Intervention on Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairment in Breast Cancer Patients: An Assessor-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Breast cancer patients frequently experience chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), which can negatively affect memory, attention, executive function, daily activities, and quality of life. Effective non-pharmacological interventions for CRCI remain limited.

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Behavior Change Wheel (BCW)-based music listening intervention in improving cognitive function among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. A total of 90 eligible participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a BCW-based music listening intervention group or a routine care control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive a 12-week music listening program in addition to routine care, while participants in the control group will receive routine care alone.

The primary outcome is the change in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) total score from baseline to the end of the intervention. Secondary outcomes include FACT-Cog subscale scores and PROMIS anxiety and depression scores. This study aims to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of a theory-based music listening intervention for managing chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients.

This study was registered retrospectively after completion of participant enrollment and follow-up.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This is a single-center, assessor-blinded, parallel-group randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Behavior Change Wheel-based music listening intervention for chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients. Eligible participants were adult female patients with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer who received chemotherapy. A total of 90 participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or the control group. Participants in the intervention group received routine nursing care plus a 12-week BCW-based music listening intervention, which included relationship building, health education, family involvement, individualized planning, self-training, behavioral reinforcement, and regular feedback. Participants were instructed to listen to self-selected music for at least 20 minutes per day. Participants in the control group received routine nursing care, including health education, educational materials, online support, and regular follow-up. The primary outcome was the change in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function total score from baseline to Week 12. Secondary outcomes included FACT-Cog subscale scores and PROMIS anxiety and depression scores. Primary analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle, and analysis of covariance was used to compare post-intervention outcomes between groups while adjusting for baseline values. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment. This study was registered retrospectively after completion of participant enrollment and follow-up.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

90

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

  • China
    • Jiangsu
      • Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, 210029
        • The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University

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:

  1. Histopathologically confirmed breast cancer.
  2. Female patients aged 18 years or older.
  3. Patients receiving chemotherapy with at least six planned cycles.
  4. Able to understand the study procedures and complete the required questionnaires.
  5. Provided written informed consent and voluntarily agreed to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Visual, hearing, or speech impairment that may affect participation in the intervention or outcome assessment.
  2. Cognitive impairment caused by other diseases.
  3. Metastatic breast cancer or cachexia.
  4. Receiving other interventions specifically targeting cognitive impairment.

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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: BCW-Based Music Listening Intervention Group
Participants in this group received routine nursing care plus a Behavior Change Wheel-based music listening intervention for 12 weeks. The intervention included relationship building, health education, family involvement, individualized planning, self-training, behavioral reinforcement, daily music listening, and regular feedback. Participants were instructed to listen to self-selected music for at least 20 minutes per day.
Behavioral: BCW-Based Music Listening Intervention
The intervention was a 12-week Behavior Change Wheel-based music listening program provided in addition to routine nursing care. It included relationship building, health education, family involvement, individualized planning, self-training, behavioral reinforcement, daily music listening, and regular feedback. Participants were instructed to listen to self-selected music for at least 20 minutes per day throughout the intervention period.
Behavioral: Routine Nursing Care
Routine nursing care included health education after chemotherapy, educational materials, symptom management guidance, dietary advice, relaxation training, medication guidance, psychological support, WeChat-based information sharing, and follow-up consultation every two weeks.
Active Comparator: Routine Care Control Group
Participants in this group received routine nursing care, including health education after chemotherapy, educational materials, symptom management guidance, dietary advice, relaxation training, medication guidance, psychological support, WeChat-based information sharing, and follow-up consultation every two weeks.
Behavioral: Routine Nursing Care
Routine nursing care included health education after chemotherapy, educational materials, symptom management guidance, dietary advice, relaxation training, medication guidance, psychological support, WeChat-based information sharing, and follow-up consultation every two weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12
The primary outcome was the change in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) total score from baseline to Week 12. The FACT-Cog includes 37 items scored on a 0 to 4 Likert scale, with a total score ranging from 0 to 148. Higher scores indicate better perceived cognitive function.
Baseline and Week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in FACT-Cog Perceived Cognitive Impairment Subscale Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12
Change in the perceived cognitive impairment subscale score of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) from baseline to Week 12. Higher scores indicate better perceived cognitive function.
Baseline and Week 12
Change in FACT-Cog Comments From Others Subscale Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12
Change in the comments from others subscale score of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) from baseline to Week 12. Higher scores indicate better perceived cognitive function.
Baseline and Week 12
Change in FACT-Cog Perceived Cognitive Abilities Subscale Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12
Change in the perceived cognitive abilities subscale score of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) from baseline to Week 12. Higher scores indicate better perceived cognitive function.
Baseline and Week 12
Change in FACT-Cog Impact on Quality of Life Subscale Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12
Change in the impact on quality of life subscale score of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) from baseline to Week 12. Higher scores indicate less impact of cognitive symptoms on quality of life.
Baseline and Week 12
Change in PROMIS Depression Short Form Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12
Change in depressive symptoms assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression Short Form from baseline to Week 12. The scale includes 8 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.
Baseline and Week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University

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)

March 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 7, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 7, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NMU-BCW-MUSIC-CRCI-2025 (Other Identifier: The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared because the study data contain personal health information, questionnaire responses, and clinical treatment information. Public sharing may increase the risk of participant identification. Data access is restricted by participant privacy protection requirements and institutional data management policies. Researchers with reasonable academic requests may contact the principal investigator, and any data access will be subject to approval by the study institution and ethics committee.

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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