Earlier this year, the Rainbow and Rocket wards at our children’s hospital welcomed a remarkable new piece of equipment funded through LATCH: a photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) machine.
This red-light therapy is transforming care for children undergoing chemotherapy, particularly those suffering from a painful and often overlooked side effect known as mucositis.
Mucositis
Mucositis is a common but little-discussed complication of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, especially in children. It occurs when the delicate lining of the mouth and digestive tract becomes inflamed and ulcerated. These deep, debilitating ulcers make even the simplest tasks, eating, drinking, or speaking. agonising. For many children, mucositis can lead to hospital admissions, dehydration, and nutritional challenges, adding further stress to an already difficult treatment journey. Until recently, management relied on a combination of prescription mouthwashes, numbing sprays, painkillers, and topical gels. While helpful for some, these methods often fell short of providing lasting relief.
Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT)
PBMT works by using low-level red and near-infrared light to stimulate cellular repair and reduce inflammation. The light penetrates tissue, enhancing the body’s natural healing processes, increasing blood flow, and decreasing pain. Sessions are quick, just a few minutes, but the benefits can be profound, speeding healing and even preventing ulcers from forming when used proactively. For children, the treatment is non-invasive, quick, and painless, offering relief that can transform their experience during chemotherapy.
Mia's experience
Children like Mia, 16, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in June 2023, have experienced firsthand the transformative power of this therapy. For years, Mia struggled with mucositis during chemotherapy. She describes the ulcers as “awful, sometimes so big it felt like there was a hole in my tongue.” Traditional treatments provided little relief, and each cycle of chemotherapy meant facing the same pain again.
Earlier this year, during one particularly severe outbreak, Mia learned from a friend at another hospital that red-light therapy could help. On mentioning it to her nurse, Mia and her mother were surprised to learn that a PBMT machine had just arrived on the ward. Sceptical but hopeful, they agreed to give it a try.
Her mother says: “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, we’d tried so many things, but it was incredible, she started to feel some relief so quickly when for so long it’s been just pain.”
The results were amazing. Within a day or so, Mia noticed a huge improvement, and the painful ulcers began to heal. The treatment, taking only a few minutes, brought relief that had previously seemed impossible. Since then, Mia has started using PBMT pre-emptively to prevent mucositis during chemotherapy, and it is working. Today, Mia is ulcer-free, experiencing only the occasional tingle, a stark contrast to her previous cycles of treatment.
Dr Philip Connor, Consultant Paediatric Haematologist approached Latch to discuss the introduction of the equipment earlier this year, “Oral Mucositis is one of the most distressing complications our young patients face during treatment. Until now, we had very few effective options to ease that pain. The introduction of PBMT has been transformative, it not only reduces the severity and duration, but when used early, can prevent them developing at all.”
While Mia still has some scarring from previous outbreaks, the relief she has experienced since starting PBMT cannot be overstated. For children undergoing intensive cancer treatments, LATCH-funded equipment like this represents more than just technological innovation, it restores comfort, dignity, and hope.
