The Impact of Music Therapy on Opioid Use in Cancer Survivors With Chronic Pain

As many as 40% of cancer survivors report experiencing chronic pain, and recent research indicates that pain is not well managed. Opioids are often prescribed during active cancer treatment for pain management, and many cancer survivors continue the same pain management regimen long after completing their cancer treatment. Reports indicate that prescription rates are up to 1.22 times higher for cancer cancer survivors than people without a cancer diagnosis, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends that opioid tapering should be a priority once someone moves into survivorship status. Music interventions have been used for pain management in people with cancer, yet few studies have examined music therapy for chronic pain in cancer survivors. Moreover, none of these studies have not examined opioid use as a measure. Therefore, the overarching goals of this pilot study are to investigate the impact of an interactive music therapy (IMT) intervention on pain management and opioid use in cancer survivors with chronic pain versus a verbal-based support program (social attention control). This pilot study uses a mixed methods intervention design in which qualitative data (i.e. semi-structured follow-up interviews) are embedded within a randomized controlled trial. We will randomize 40 cancer survivors to one of two 10-session treatments: 1) Interactive Music Therapy or 2) Social Attention Control. Primary (mean daily opioid use) and secondary outcomes (pain intensity, pain interference, pain-related self-efficacy, patient perception of change, and physician perception of change in pain management) will be measured at baseline, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Follow-up interviews with a subsample of 12 participants and 4 physicians will enable us to gain a better understanding of potential treatment benefits, learn about challenges encountered, and obtain suggestions for treatment optimization. This is the first music therapy study to examine the benefits of music therapy for opioid tapering in cancer survivors with chronic pain and the results will be used to establish estimates of variance for sample size calculations for a larger-scale randomized control trial.