The Voice
More Than a Song: The Science of Music as Medicine
Upstage Lung Cancer is the first cancer charity to exclusively use music and the performing arts to accomplish our mission to promote awareness, advance understanding and remove the social stigma of lung cancer. Through these efforts we invest in innovative and significant early detection lung cancer research.
Our musicians who provide such expert and enjoyable music for our educational concerts understand the profound power of their art to move an audience. But what if that power could be prescribed? Emerging research confirms what ancient wisdom has long suggested: music is a potent form of medicine, with a significant positive impact on patients facing cancer.
Recently, researchers looked at patients undergoing radiotherapy, an anti-cancer treatment that uses radiation to destroy cancer cells. Facing this treatment is frequently anxiety-producing. So, the research asked if using music therapeutically could help reduce some of the psychological difficulties associated with this treatment. This study showed that a music intervention helped reduce patients’ distress undergoing treatment.1 Using music in this way is considered music medicine. Music medicine scientists study how certain music-based interventions impact stress, pain, sleep and mood in patients. They also assess how different music affects surgeons’ performances and medical providers’ wellness.1
But music therapy and music as medicine are far more than a pleasant diversion. They show how the art of music and the science of medicine can work in tandem. Music medicine and music therapy explore how targeted musical interventions can measurably reduce stress, pain and anxiety while improving mood and sleep. This powerful combination of art and science is not a new idea. Did you know that the Chinese character for medicine also incorporates the character for music? In the 20th century, music was found to be instrumental in rehabilitating the minds, bodies and spirits of World War II veterans.2
The Clinical Evidence: Soothing Anxiety in Cancer Treatment
Today, rigorous studies are validating music’s role in modern healthcare, particularly for the psychological challenges associated with cancer treatment.
A large-scale study of nearly 2,000 lung cancer patients found that integrating music therapy into their treatment plan significantly reduced anxiety and depression, improved sleep, and enhanced overall quality of life. Based on these powerful results, researchers recommend 30-minute music sessions once or twice daily to alleviate emotional distress during treatment.2, 3
This effect is also seen in high-stress diagnostic settings. For cancer patients, the anxiety before a PET scan—often called “scanxiety”—can be overwhelming. One study targeted this specific fear, providing patients with a 30-minute music therapy session before their scan. The results were clear and physiological: patients in the music group, compared to the group that did not receive music medicine, showed significantly lower heart rates, reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reported less anxiety.4
A Tool for Deeper Connection and Comfort
Beyond stress reduction, music can also be a vital tool in palliative care. Researchers in India focusing on palliative care with advanced lung cancer patients found similar positive effects for music as medicine. Patients reported less anxiety, felt less pain, were in a better mood and had more motivation than patients who did not receive music therapy. The authors noted that the very act of selecting music can open a gateway for patients to discuss complex emotions and end-of-life preferences with caregivers and family, providing comfort when it is needed most.5
The research confirms what many patients have discovered on their own: in a journey where so much feels out of control, music offers a way to reclaim a sense of agency. It is a deeply personal and powerful act of self-care. Turning on a favorite song is not a mere distraction; it is a conscious choice to lower the heart rate, calm the mind, and create a personal sanctuary of sound, proving that the tools for healing can be as simple as pressing play.
Sources:
- The Efficacy of Music Intervention in Patients with Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Cancers
- Music as medicine | Harvard Health Publishing
- The effect of music therapy on anxiety, depression, pain and sleep quality of lung cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis | Supportive Care in Cancer
- Music Therapy and Music Intervention for NSCLC Patients Undergoing PET with Fear of Cancer Recurrence | Integrative Cancer Therapies
- Harmonising Hope: Impact of Music Therapy on Cancer Pain and Palliative Care | Indian Journal of Palliative Care