Prelude to the Special Issue in Music and Medicine: Music Therapy and Supportive Cancer Care

Abstract

n the 1970s and 1980s, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City became a leading institu- tion in activating and administering specialized psychosocial and spiritual care to patients and families. Under the auspices of the Pain Service, Kathleen Foley, MD and Nessa Coyle, PhD, and alongside the pioneering work of Jimmie Holland, MD, the MSKCC Supportive Care Program was established in 19811 to provide continuity of care to patients with pain and difficult-to-manage symptoms. The development of this inter- nationally recognized program helped address ongoing needs of patients and their caregivers across the continuum of their illnesses. This included the distressful impact of complicated symptoms, uncertain prognoses, the side effects of treatments, and fragile coping skills...