Music as medicine: could ukulele lessons rebuild young brains after cancer?
NCT ID NCT07769099
First seen Aug 17, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a year of music training can improve thinking, memory, and quality of life in children who have recovered from brain tumors. About 236 children aged 7-16 will either receive regular care or join a ukulele program with weekly group and online sessions. Researchers will measure cognitive skills and well-being before and after the training to see if music can support brain recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A one-year musical training program using the ukulele, with weekly group and online sessions.
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this could offer a fun, non-drug way to support thinking, memory, and well-being in childhood brain tumor survivors.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is early and results are uncertain. Music training may not improve brain function for all children, and participation requires a year-long commitment.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 236 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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7 to 16 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Completed cancer treatment at least 2 months previously, * Aged 7-16 years, * Able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese * Have had no musical training since their cancer diagnosis Exclusion Criteria: * Have cancer recurrence or a second malignancy
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Hong Kong Children's Hospital, Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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