A recent study carried out by the Hematology team at the Fundación Jiménez Díaz Health Research Institute (IIS-FJD, UAM) has shown that listening to music significantly reduces physical and emotional symptoms in hospitalised patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia and in those who have received a bone marrow transplant. This clinical trial, whose findings have been published in the prestigious Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, raises new possibilities for the comprehensive treatment of these patients.
The study was led by Dr. Alberto Lázaro, a specialist in Hematology and Hemotherapy, together with doctors Pilar Llamas and Juan Manuel Alonso, who are part of the hospital team, and researcher Daniel Láinez from the experimental hematology group at the IIS-FJD. Their research focused on analyzing how music can positively influence the well-being of patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants.
To develop the research, the team created a mobile app called GloMus, specifically designed to offer personalized classical music sessions. The selected pieces, chosen according to their tempo and tonality, were intended to help patients change their emotional state, promoting feelings of calm, joy and entertainment.
“Our goal was to enable patients to experience an emotional transition, from sadness to joy, from nervousness to calm, and from boredom to entertainment by listening to music through our app,” explained Dr. Lázaro.
Musical interventions in cancer treatment
The results were encouraging: patients who participated in the sessions experienced a noticeable reduction in symptoms, especially those who underwent a bone marrow transplant. Music not only relieved physical discomfort such as pain, fatigue or nausea, but also improved the emotional state of the patients, who reported feeling more relaxed and cheerful after the intervention.
The selected musical pieces were intended to help patients change their emotional state, promoting feelings of calm, joy and entertainment.
However, no significant medium-term effects were observed on anxiety, depression or quality of life. “We are convinced that if the sessions were extended over a longer period of time, we could see lasting benefits in patients’ quality of life,” said Dr. Lázaro. In addition, patients reported that music helped them cope better with their time in hospital, suggesting that it could be a useful complement to conventional treatment.
This study marks an important step forward in the introduction of musical interventions in the treatment of cancer patients. The results suggest that music can be an accessible and effective tool to improve patients’ well-being, reducing their symptoms and promoting a more positive emotional state during hospitalization.
This approach could open up new opportunities in medical treatment, not only for patients with hematological diseases, but also for those with other pathologies, allowing more people to benefit from the therapeutic power of music.
Source: Health Research Institute of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation
