Music reduces anxiety in cancer patients (Medical Xpress) --
Cancer patients may benefit from sessions with trained music
therapists or from listening to music. A new Cochrane systematic
review shows using music can reduce anxiety in cancer patients,
and may also have positive effects on mood, pain and quality of
life. Music and music therapy are used in a wide range of
clinical settings. Treatments range from patients listening to
pre-recorded music, to music therapists engaging patients in
music experiences to improve psychological and physical well-
being. In the review, researchers focused on trials with
patients with any kind of cancer who were offered music or music
therapy sessions. The researchers analysed evidence from 1,891
patients taking part in 30 trials. 13 trials used trained music
therapists, while in the remaining 17 trials, patients listened
to pre-recorded music. How long and how often patients
participated in music sessions varied greatly among trials. The
results show that compared to stan