A Music Therapy Study for Blood Cancer Survivors With Cognitive Difficulties

Launched by MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER · Jun 30, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is looking at whether music therapy delivered through telehealth (online sessions) can help improve thinking skills like memory and attention in people who have survived blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, or myeloma. Researchers also want to see if music therapy or learning about music can reduce common symptoms that survivors often experience, such as anxiety, depression, and fatigue (feeling very tired).

People who may join the study must be adults who speak English, have a stable blood cancer diagnosis, and are experiencing some difficulties with thinking or memory. To participate, they need to be at least three months past their last major cancer treatment and not currently involved in other therapies that affect thinking. Participants will take part in music therapy sessions online and complete various assessments to track changes in their thinking and overall well-being. This study aims to find out if music therapy is a helpful and convenient way to support brain health and emotional well-being after cancer treatment.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • English-proficient, aged 18 or older
• • Diagnosis of lymphoma, leukemia, or myeloma
• • Stable oncologic disease or no evidence of disease as indicated in the medical chart or by the oncology team
• • Score of \<54 on the FACT-Cog PCI subscale
• • Minimum life expectancy of one year as per clinician assessment
• • Patient should be able to understand and complete all study assessments on their own.
• • Eligible patient should be able to understand informed consent and provide signed informed consent in English.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Less than 3 months since completion of surgery, radiation, induction chemotherapy (for newly diagnosed or relapsed disease), transplantation, or immunotherapy (e.g., CAR T-Cell, bispecific antibodies)
• • If there is a defined treatment period, the patient must be at least 3 months from treatment completion
• • If the patient is on continuous therapy, patient must have completed at least 6 months of the therapy
• • Maintenance therapies are allowed
• • Received music therapy (MT) in the past year
• • Current music training, \>6 months of music training in the past 10 years, or plan to initiate music training during the study
• • No access to an internet-connected device
• • Active suicidal ideation, bipolar, schizophrenia, or substance abuse
• • BOMC score ≥10 (indicative of dementia)
• • Uncorrectable visual, auditory, or motor impairments
• • Initiation or altered dose of sedative, stimulant, or anti-cholinergic medications in the past month or plan to initiate these medications during the study, as these are known to impact cognitive function
• • Initiation of any other interventions for CRCD (e.g., cognitive rehabilitation) in the past month or plan to initiate these interventions during the study, as these are known to impact cognitive function