Music and guided relaxation lowered anxiety during radiotherapy mask use
A randomized trial found lower mask-related anxiety with a combined music and relaxation intervention during early radiotherapy sessions. Longer-term effects were not reported.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Patients receiving music alongside guided relaxation and visualization reported less anxiety about their radiotherapy mask than those receiving standard care after the initial treatment sessions. This was a combined intervention, so the trial cannot separate the contribution of music from the relaxation exercise. The abstract does not report whether benefits lasted.
Only 208 participants entered the final analysis, and 4 stopped the intervention because of distracting thoughts or difficulty concentrating. The abstract does not explain all exclusions or report longer-term anxiety outcomes.
What researchers found
Mask anxiety on a modified distress thermometer
Intervention versus standard care after 5 radiotherapy sessions; IQR 2 versus 1; p < 0.001.
What the abstract measured
The treatment mask was used to keep patients still during radiation therapy. Researchers measured anxiety specifically related to that mask, so the outcome concerns this treatment experience rather than anxiety across everyday life.
What remains unproven
No adverse events were reported, although some participants stopped the intervention. The study did not report evidence that lower mask anxiety improved cancer outcomes or treatment adherence.
The original publication
Effect of music therapy and relaxation visualization intervention on mask anxiety in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy-a randomized controlled trial.
Joshi AM, Mehta SA, Tandiya P et al.
Support Care Cancer · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40921828
- Record checked
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