Music Therapy for Oral Mucositis Pain in Pediatric Patients

NCT07653360 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 260818NCI-2026-04493
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This mixed-methods pilot study will examine the effect of music therapy on oral mucositis pain in pediatric oncology patients. Oral mucositis, characterized by painful ulcerative lesions in the mouth, is a common side effect of high-dose chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell or bone marrow transplantation. Despite its high prevalence and impact on quality of life, effective pain management strategies for pediatric oral mucositis remain limited and often rely heavily on medications that may cause significant side effects or provide insufficient relief. Music therapy may offer a promising non-pharmacologic adjunct for reducing pain, yet no studies to date have specifically evaluated its use for oral mucositis pain in pediatric patients.

Conditions

Oral Mucosa Discomfort; Pediatric Cancer; Mucositis Oral

Keywords

Music Therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Identify patterns in previous experience with music therapy

  Semi-structured interviews will be audio/video-recorded and transcribed using Zoom's built-in transcription function. Finalized transcripts will be analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, a qualitative method for identifying and interpreting patterns within the data.

  1 day

Study Arms (1)

Phase 1: Interview

OTHER

Participants will consist of parent-child dyads and will take part in an interview conducted online (over Zoom) about the child's experiences with oral mucositis and perceptions of music therapy while experiencing oral mucositis pain. The interview is expected to last up to 1 hour.

Other: Semi-Structured Interviews

Interventions

Semi-Structured Interviews OTHER

Participants will be interviewed online via Zoom

Phase 1: Interview

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 64 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Phase 1
• Child ages 6-18 years old
• Child has received music therapy and experienced oral mucositis
• Parent/guardian 18 years and older
• Able to communicate in English

You may not qualify if:

• Phase 1
• Diagnosis of a developmental disorder that would prevent engagement in the active music-making or passive music-listening intervention or completion of study measures.
• Significant pre-existing hearing loss or impairment that would interfere with participation in the interventions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, San Francisco: lead
• Perloff Family Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of California, San Francisco

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms; Stomatitis

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mouth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases

Study Officials

• Wei Li Jonathan Tang, MT-BC, PhD

  University of California, San Francisco

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Jonathan Tang, MT-BC, PhD

CONTACT

(415) 353-3327; Jonathan.Tang2@ucsf.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Phase 2 of the study will open for enrollment after Phase 1 has been completed.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 11, 2026
• First Posted: June 17, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2027
• Last Updated: June 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

US (1)