Analysis of music therapy as a pain tool in cancer patients care

Abstract

Objective: To analyze and consolidate the relevance of music therapy (MT) as a non-invasive adjuvant treatment for pain management in cancer patients. Methods: Its methodology was created with the help of the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and the Virtual Health Library (VHL) platforms as databases used to constitute the bibliographic compilation of this literature review. The descriptors used were “Music therapy”, “Pain” and “Cancer”. The inclusion criteria were articles published in the last 10 years (2013-2023), free access and whose studies were controlled clinical trials, observational studies or case reports. Duplicate articles or those that were unrelated to the objective of the study were excluded. Results: Among the 22 articles selected in this study, 21 concluded great relevance in the use of music therapy for pain management through the promotion of physical and psychosocial benefits to cancer patients, while 1 of them did not demonstrate effective relevance in reducing pain. Final considerations: An important relevance of music therapy was observed in maintaining the quality of life of cancer patients when used as a non-invasive adjuvant treatment aimed at managing pain, since this is a common symptom that is difficult to control at different moments of treatment.