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TRANScriptional Pathways Of Surgical Pain Modulated by Music Therapy Exposure (TRANSPOSE)

TRANScriptional Pathways Of Surgical Pain Modulated by Music Therapy Exposure (TRANSPOSE): A Single Arm Pilot Study

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07653594
Enrollment
20
Registered
2026-06-17
Start date
2027-01-01
Completion date
2027-12-01
Last updated
2026-08-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Bile Duct Cancer, Liver Cancer, Pancreas Cancer, Peritoneal Cancer, Stomach Cancer, Surgery

Keywords

Music therapy, Music-assisted relaxation and imagery

Brief summary

Participants may take part in this study if they are scheduled to undergo a surgery that meets the following: (1) traditional open surgery via laparotomy, (2) length of surgery \>3 hours, and (3) curative-intent surgical resection of a cancer in the stomach, pancreas, bile ducts, liver, or peritoneal surfaces. The purpose of this study is (1) to evaluate the feasibility of collecting blood samples prior to surgery, post-surgery and pre- music-assisted relaxation and imagery (MARI) intervention, and immediately post-MARI intervention and (2) to identify gene expression changes associated with MARI and explore their relationship with immediate changes in pain intensity. Participants will be in this study for the duration of their hospital admission for surgery.

Detailed description

People undergoing surgery for abdominal cancer often experience high levels of pain, stress, and anxiety. Managing these symptoms after surgery is difficult. People often require strong medications for pain relief and may have other comorbidities and anxiety that accompany surgery. Non-pharmacologic approaches, like music therapy (MT) are needed. Music-assisted relaxation and imagery (MARI) combines live music with guided relaxation, breathing, and imagery. MARI can be personalized to people's preferences. MARI can also be recorded live so that a recording can be given to the participant to use afterward. In a prior study conducted by researchers, people who receiving palliative care reported a decrease in pain after experiencing MARI. In an additional study, MARI was found to more likely result in bigger decreases in pain when compared to traditional MT alone. Even though there are several studies that support the efficacy of music interventions, like MARI and MT, for addressing pain after surgery, the biological mechanisms are not well understood. Recent advances in functional genomic science provide an opportunity to understand transcriptomic mechanisms. These approaches have been applied to mind-body therapies, recreational music making (RMM), and music listening. However, they have not yet been applied to MT. A previous study showed that RMM led to a decrease in stress-induced immune response-related genetic markers in a group of healthy volunteers when compared to a control group. In a similar study, adults with cardiovascular disease also showed changes in their genetic markers when exposed to RMM. However, to date no research has investigated the relationship between gene expression and pain in a medical population experiencing acute post-surgical pain. Given that people undergoing abdominal cancer surgery often experience severe pain, this population is well-suited for investigating the mechanisms by which MT influences acute pain.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALMusic-assisted relaxation and imagery (MARI)

Participants will provide their music and imagery preferences, which will be incorporated into the intervention. The intervention will consist of live guitar accompaniment personalized to participants' music preferences and a standardized script directing participants to release tension, take deep breaths, and explore a relaxing place. The MARI intervention will last about 30 minutes. The MARI intervention will be conducted on Day 1 (post-surgery) and a second timepoint determined by participant preference before the participant's hospital discharge (up to Day 30).

Sponsors

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age 50 to 80 * Able to speak and understand English * Scheduled to undergo a surgery meeting the following criteria: (1) traditional open surgery (not laparoscopic or robotic) via laparotomy (midline or subcostal incisions), (2) length of surgery \>3 hours, and (3) curative-intent surgical resection of a cancer in the stomach, pancreas, bile ducts, liver, or peritoneal surfaces * Participant reports pain intensity of 4/10 or above to study staff on day 1 post-surgery or any other day post-surgery through discharge

Exclusion criteria

* Significant visual impairment that has not been corrected * Significant hearing impairment that has not been corrected * Significant cognitive impairment that would prevent participant from participating in the study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Proportion of participants whose phlebotomy was collected prior to surgeryWithin 2 weeks prior to surgeryThe feasibility of collecting blood samples prior to surgery is measured by the proportion of participants whose phlebotomy was successfully collected.
Proportion of participants whose phlebotomy was collected post-surgery (pre-MARI)Post-surgery and prior to MARI intervention (up to 30 days)The feasibility of collecting blood samples post-surgery (and pre-MARI intervention) is measured by the proportion of participants whose phlebotomy was successfully collected.
Proportion of participants whose phlebotomy was collected post-MARIPost-MARI intervention (up to 30 days)The feasibility of collecting blood samples post-MARI is measured by the proportion of participants whose phlebotomy was successfully collected.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTSamuel N Rodgers-Melnick, PhD, MPH
Samuel.RodgersMelnick@UHhospitals.org216-844-7727
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSamuel N Rodgers-Melnick, PhD, MPH

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, University Hospitals

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 6, 2026