Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39841944›Full record

ArticleJCO oncology practice2025

Musician's Experience After Breast Cancer Treatment: Defining Musical Toxicity and its Frequency.

Jessica F Burlile, Joshua D Cameron, Heather J Gunn, Nicole L Larson, Jennifer L Bradt, Judy C Boughey, Mary M Mrdutt, Fergus J Couch, Janet E Olson, Valerie Cangie and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JCO oncology practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Jessica F BurlileMayo Clinic, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0001-8653-1045
Joshua D CameronMayo Clinic, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0009-0002-3435-8644
Heather J GunnMayo Clinic, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0001-8665-2867
Nicole L LarsonMayo Clinic, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0002-2129-6934
Jennifer L BradtMayo Clinic, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rochester, MN.
Judy C BougheyMayo Clinic, Department of Surgery, Division of Breast and Melanoma Surgery, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0003-3820-3228
Mary M MrduttMayo Clinic, Department of Surgery, Division of Breast and Melanoma Surgery, Rochester, MN.
Fergus J CouchMayo Clinic, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0001-9417-9985
Janet E OlsonMayo Clinic, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0003-4944-7789
Valerie CangieEast Valley Middle School Department of Music, Nampa, ID.
Shawna EhlersMayo Clinic, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0003-3004-5966
Yasamin SharifzadehMayo Clinic, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0003-3269-3107
Kathryn J RuddyMayo Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0001-6298-332X
Dean A ShumwayMayo Clinic, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rochester, MN.
Charles L LoprinziMayo Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0001-8044-5752
Elizabeth J Cathcart-RakeMayo Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, Rochester, MN.ORCID 0000-0003-3532-4913

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOver 50% of households in the United States have at least one musician-many musicians are also breast cancer survivors. This group has not been well studied, and given the level of fine sensory-motor skill required for musicianship, we hypothesized that musicians experience unique manifestations of breast cancer treatment toxicities.

methodsA nine-item Musical Toxicity Questionnaire (MTQ) was distributed to patients who had consented to participate in the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer Registry. The MTQ screened participants by asking if they played a musical instrument or sang in the last 10 years: questions populated for those who answered yes. Respondents were asked if they noticed difficulty with their musical endeavor during or after breast cancer treatment, defined as acute musical toxicity (AMT). The questionnaire asked which side effect and cancer-directed therapy most influenced musical ability, what musical attributes were affected, and the timeline of resolution. Multivariable and classification tree analyses assessed relationships between AMT and treatment characteristics.

resultsOf 1,871 survey respondents, 29% (535/1,871) self-identified as musicians. Over a quarter (27%, 144/535) reported AMT, and for 57% (82/144), AMT had not resolved at the time of survey. Of the treatments each participant received, chemotherapy was most often reported as most negatively impactful (63/89 who received chemotherapy, 71%). Decreased endurance was the most common musical difficulty (64% of those with AMT, 92/144), followed by decreased accuracy, trouble playing/singing quickly, and difficulty using proper technique. Multivariable and classification tree analyses revealed that receipt of chemotherapy was most strongly correlated with AMT.

conclusionThese results will help oncology care teams counsel musicians, answer questions about impacts on musicality, and provide a timeline for resolution of musical symptoms.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsMusicAdultAgedFemaleHumansMiddle AgedSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID39841944
PMCPMC12345839

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.