Music of Choice to Decrease Anxiety During Radiation Treatment

Receiving radiotherapy induces anxiety in at least 1/3 of patients who did not have a
previously existing anxiety condition1. Female gender is a positive predictive factor for
psychosocial decline during radiotherapy. One-fourth of patients disrupt their planned
radiotherapy treatment course due to anxiety. Music therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in
reducing anxiety when implemented in other medical settings including mechanical ventilation,
burn debridement and venipuncture in pediatric patients. There have been some trials which
have found a reduction in anxiety when pre-recorded music along with other relaxation
techniques have been implemented during radiotherapy. This trial seeks to investigate the
benefit of pre-recorded music alone in reducing anxiety experienced during the first
radiotherapy treatment session in female cancer patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Scheduled to receive radiotherapy for malignant tumor

- ECOG Performance Status 0-4

- Fluent in English Language

- Inclusion in this study will not be based on race or ethnicity

- Patients must be deemed able to comply with the treatment plan.

- Patients must provide study specific informed consent prior to study entry.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Prior history of radiation therapy