Music Therapy to Ease Pain and Emotional Distress in Patients With Hematologic Cancer Who Are Undergoing High-Dose Therapy and Stem Cell Transplantation

OBJECTIVES: * Compare the effects of music therapy vs no music therapy on depression and anxiety in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. * Compare the effects of these regimens on mood, mucositis pain, pain interference, need for analgesic medication, and length of hospital stay of these patients. * Compare the immediate effects of these regimens on mood in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified according to whole body or whole lymphatic irradiation (yes vs no) and diagnosis (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma vs Hodgkin's lymphoma vs myeloma/amyloidosis). Patients are randomized to one of two arms. * Arm I: Patients receive individualized music therapy over 20-30 minutes beginning on day 0 and continuing over 16 days for a maximum of 12 sessions during high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. Patients complete a Profile of Mood States (POMS) quality of life and pain questionnaire on days -2, 0, 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, and 16. * Arm II: Patients receive standard psychosocial support during high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. Patients complete POMS and mucositis pain questionnaires as in arm I. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 80 patients (40 per arm) will be accrued for this study.