Trial results for a study investigating music therapy in patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and fatigue were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-01-20. The study found that patients receiving music therapy had a mean fatigue score of 106.96 on the Tang Fatigue Rating Scale, compared to 128.46 in the standard care group.
Background
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Patients undergoing treatment for AML often experience significant side effects, including severe fatigue, which can profoundly impact their quality of life. Managing fatigue is a critical aspect of supportive care in oncology, and non-pharmacological interventions are often explored to complement standard treatments. This study aimed to investigate the potential of music therapy as an intervention to alleviate fatigue and improve certain medical laboratory values in this patient population.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 60 participants diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and experiencing Fatigue. The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of employing music therapy in alleviating fatigue and medical laboratory values among these patients. Participants were divided into an Experimental: Music Intervention Group and a Control: Standard Care Group. The intervention involved music therapy, while the control group received standard care.
Key results
The trial results showed differences between the music intervention group and the standard care group across several measured outcomes:
- For "Fatigue Score on the Tang Fatigue Rating Scale (TFRS)", the Experimental: Music Intervention Group had a mean score of 106.96 (Standard Deviation: 37.92 scores), while the Control: Standard Care Group had a mean score of 128.46 (Standard Deviation: 26.32 scores).
- For "Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) at Day 21", the Experimental: Music Intervention Group had a mean of 2456.32 (Standard Deviation: 648.11 cells/µL), compared to the Control: Standard Care Group with a mean of 1373.60 (Standard Deviation: 657.88 cells/µL).
- For "Hemoglobin Level at Day 21", the Experimental: Music Intervention Group showed a mean of 9.30 (Standard Deviation: 0.31 g/dL), versus the Control: Standard Care Group with a mean of 8.19 (Standard Deviation: 0.16 g/dL).
- For "Albumin Level at Day 21", the Experimental: Music Intervention Group had a mean of 3.87 (Standard Deviation: 0.13 g/dL), while the Control: Standard Care Group had a mean of 3.49 (Standard Deviation: 0.14 g/dL).
- For "11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11)", the Experimental: Music Intervention Group had a mean score of 4.07 (Standard Deviation: 0.38 scores on a scale), compared to the Control: Standard Care Group with a mean score of 5.00 (Standard Deviation: 0.41 scores on a scale).
What this means
The results suggest that music therapy may be a beneficial adjunctive intervention for patients with acute myeloid leukemia experiencing fatigue. Patients in the music intervention group reported lower mean fatigue scores on both the Tang Fatigue Rating Scale (106.96 vs 128.46) and the 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (4.07 vs 5.00) compared to those receiving standard care. Additionally, the music therapy group showed higher mean values for Absolute Neutrophil Count (2456.32 vs 1373.60 cells/µL), Hemoglobin Level (9.30 vs 8.19 g/dL), and Albumin Level (3.87 vs 3.49 g/dL) at Day 21. These findings indicate that music therapy could potentially improve both symptom burden and certain physiological markers in this vulnerable patient population, offering a non-pharmacological option to enhance supportive care.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT06286332, titled "Music Therapy in Acute Leukemia Patients With Fatigue", were posted on 2026-01-20 on clinicaltrials.gov.