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The advantage of EUS in the staging of anal cancer is that it allows precise assessment of the depth of infiltration and tumor spread into adjacent tissue, facilitating the choice of stage-dependent treatment decisions-particularly in determining the extent of interstitial booster radiotherapy needed. It also allows follow-up examinations after the initial treatment, with fine-needle aspiration biopsies of suspicious areas. Wider acceptance of this method might further decrease the performance of extensive surgery, with the impaired quality of life associated with rectal amputation. In addition, it might allow improved quality control of the various treatment modalities.

Background/Aims: Several studies have reported improved patient comfort with music in the preoperative setting, however music has seldom been assessed during gastrointestinal endoscopy. We aimed to assess how background music may influence the perception of patients and examiners involved in endoscopic examinations. Methods: 301 patients (128 females, 173 males; mean age 59 years) were included in the study (EGD and colonoscopy) in a prospective fashion. 90 EGD and 61 colonoscopies were performed with music (50.17%) and 102 EGD and 48 colonoscopies without music (49.83%). Patients, nurses and endoscopists completed a questionnaire. Results: No significant differences in demographic data were found between the patients examined with or without music. Tolerance to the examination, pain sensation and perception of the endoscopy room ambiance were similar in both groups. The majority of patients (83.4%) expressed a preference for music during any future endoscopic examination and none perceived the music as disturbing. During the 151 examinations, music was considered unpleasant in 14 examinations by the physicians (9.3%) and in 11 examinations by the nurses (7.3%). Conclusions: Music has little influence on patients’ experience of gastrointestinal endoscopy. Nevertheless, the majority of patients felt music to be helpful and expressed a preference for music during any future examination. This positive attitude to music of patients is in contrast with the assessment of some endoscopists and nurses.

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