Effects of music intervention on improving pain in cancer patients: a protocol for systematic review of RCTs

The mainstay of pain management in cancer patients is medication, but non-drug therapies such as music therapy are sometimes tried when medication alone is not effective. This study is a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy in managing pain in cancer patients. This protocol will be performed in accordance with the systematic review Cochrane Handbook in Intervention 6.2. We will perform a comprehensive search in electronic databases such as MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, AMED, and KoreaMed, as well as in the reference list of included papers. The review will include a randomized controlled trial that investigated the effectiveness of music therapy for pain management in cancer patients. Two reviewers independently select relevant studies. Version 1.5 of the Cochrane tool, which evaluates the risk of bias in randomized trials, is used to assess the risk of bias in included studies. The main outcomes are defined as pain score and adverse events. If quantitative synthesis is not appropriate, synthesis without meta-analysis will be performed. This review will provide the best available evidence regarding the effectiveness of music therapy on pain in cancer patients. The results of this study will help inform healthcare providers of the effectiveness of optimal music therapy interventions such as intensity, delivery method, music therapy type, and duration of intervention. PROSPERO CRD42024508698