title: The Use of Music Therapy During the Treatment of Cancer Patients: A Collection of Evidence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Music therapy is one of the oldest forms of creative art therapy and has been shown to have effects in different clinical and therapeutic settings, such as schizophrenia, pain, cardiovascular parameters, and dementia. This article provides an overview of some of the recent findings in this field and also reports two single case vignettes that offer insight into day-to-day applications of clinical music therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the collection of clinical studies of music therapy in oncology, the databases AMED, CAIRSS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and PSYNDEX were searched with the terms "Study OR Trial" AND "Music Therapy" AND "Cancer OR Oncolog$." Studies were analyzed with respect to their design, setting and interventions, indications, patients, and outcomes. In addition, two case vignettes present the application of music therapy for a child with leukemia and an adult patient with breast cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a total of 12 clinical studies conducted between 2001 and 2011 comprised of a total of 922 patients. Eight studies had a randomized controlled design, and four studies were conducted in the field of pediatric oncology. Studies reported heterogeneous results on short-term improvements in patients' mood and relaxation and reduced exhaustion and anxiety as well as in coping with the disease and cancer-related pain. Case descriptions showed similar effects in expressing emotions, opening up new goals, and turning the mind toward a healthy process and away form a disease-centered focus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of music therapy in the integrative treatment of cancer patients is a therapeutic option whose salutogenetic potential is shown in many case studies such as those presented here. Study results, however, did not draw a conclusive picture of the overall effect of music therapy. In addition to further clinical trials, the evidence mosaic should be complemented with qualitative studies, single case descriptions, and basic research.
authors.affiliation: Constance Boyde is music therapists in the Department of Music Therapy, Community Hospital Herdecke, Germany.
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boyde
authors.affiliation: Ulrike Linden is music therapists in the Department of Music Therapy, Community Hospital Herdecke, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Linden
authors.affiliation: Katja Boehm, PhD, MSc, is a researcher of Research Methodology, The Center for Integrative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boehm
authors.affiliation: Thomas Ostermann, PhD, MSc, is professor of Research Methodology, The Center for Integrative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ostermann
keywords: Cancer; instruments; leukemia; mood; music therapy; pain; relaxation