Peer-reviewed research from the Irma and Norman Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center reinforces music therapy’s role in whole-person cancer care
June 15, 2026— A new study from Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Irma and Norman Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center found that music therapy delivered during chemotherapy and immunotherapy infusions was associated with significant improvements in patients’ anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain, and overall sense of wellbeing. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Supportive Care in Cancer.
The study followed 55 adult cancer patients during active infusion treatment. Each took part in sessions led by a board-certified music therapist, choosing between active engagement, such as singing or playing a keyboard, or receptive listening and guided relaxation. Patients reported how they felt before and after each session across five measures. Improvements were consistent and significant across every measure, and held steady across multiple visits.
The research reflects a growing recognition that effective cancer care addresses the full experience of the patient, not the disease alone. At Mount Sinai, that philosophy is built into the design of the Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center, which opened in May 2026 and places supportive care programs like music therapy alongside advanced diagnostics, precision treatment, and clinical research under one roof.
“This research reflects what we set out to build: cancer care without compromise,” said Dr. Steven Hochwald, Director of the Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center and Chief of Surgical Oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. “When we can demonstrate that something as universal as music measurably improves how patients experience treatment, it affirms that supportive care belongs alongside our most advanced clinical work.”
The study examined two forms of music therapy and found both effective. Patients who engaged actively and those who listened receptively reported comparable benefits, suggesting the intervention can be tailored to each patient’s preference and condition without diminishing its effect.
“For someone facing cancer, the infusion chair can be one of the hardest places to sit, and music meets patients there,” said Maria Hernandez, Music Therapy Program Coordinator of the Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center. “It gives them a way to express what words cannot, and it lets them feel something other than their diagnosis. My hope has always been that music therapy becomes more than a service. It becomes part of how patients remember their care.”
As an observational study, the research establishes a foundation for larger, randomized trials to further measure music therapy’s role in cancer care. For Mount Sinai, it also reflects a broader commitment: studying how patients feel during treatment with the same rigor applied to how they respond to it. Music therapy remains an active, weekly part of supportive care for patients at the Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The study was led by Maria Hernandez, the cancer center’s music therapy program coordinator, together with the late Dr. Juan Paramo, a surgical oncologist and longtime champion of the program, and Dr. Luigi Cubeddu of Nova Southeastern University.
About Mount Sinai Medical Center
Founded in 1949, Mount Sinai Medical Center is the largest independent, private, not-for-profit teaching hospital in South Florida. Mount Sinai’s mission is to provide quality health care to a diverse community enhanced through teaching, research, charity care, and financial responsibility. Mount Sinai’s Centers of Excellence combine technology, research, and academics to provide innovative and comprehensive care in cardiology, neuroscience, oncology, urology, and orthopedics. One of the original statutory teaching hospitals in the state of Florida, Mount Sinai is the hospital of choice for those who seek the level of expertise and care that only a teaching hospital can offer. Mount Sinai currently offers ten convenient locations in Miami-Dade County, including three emergency centers, and four specialty care offices in Monroe County.
