BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with poor quality of life (qol) in breast cancer patients. We tested the effect of listening to music during chemotherapy on quality of life in these patients. MATERIAL/METHODS: We tested in a prospective cohort the changes in qol scores as assessed by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and the influence of listening to non-preferred music at the chemotherapy unit on these parameters in a mixed linear model by repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA). RESULTS: For the whole cohort, musical intervention was not associated with a change in any dimension of quality of life. However; the music effect significantly interacted with patient age; patients > 45 years old had improved insomnia and appetite loss scores after musical intervention (F = 6.76, P = 0.019 and F = 11.22, P = 0.004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that brief, non-preferred music exposure at the time of chemotherapy administration does not improve quality of life in patients with early breast cancer. Nonetheless, there is still a possibility that a subgroup will benefit from this approach as suggested by the interaction of the music effect with patient age.

Keywords: Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use, Appetite, Breast Neoplasms - therapy, Chemotherapy, Adjuvant, Cohort Studies, Music Therapy, Pilot Projects, Prospective Studies, Questionnaires, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - prevention & control