In healthcare, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift from treating illness to preventing it altogether. While this idea isn’t new, it’s gaining momentum in areas where prevention has traditionally been seen as challenging, such as oncology.
In this blog, we look more closely at how this shift might play out in oral cancer care, and why LightOx is at the forefront of this movement.
The problem with oral cancer
Oral cancer poses a growing health concern globally. In the UK alone, annual cases have increased by 38% in the past decade. Alarmingly, more than half of these cases are diagnosed at stage IV, where treatment options are limited and survival rates diminish significantly.
Even when caught early, most patients eventually undergo invasive surgery, often followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. While these treatments can be effective, they come at a high cost to patient quality of life, affecting speech, eating, social interaction, and emotional wellbeing.
Embracing prevention
Recognising the limitations of existing treatments, we’re witnessing a growing global emphasis on prevention and early intervention in cancer care.
In the UK, the NHS has outlined ambitious goals for improving early diagnosis and moving away from reactive treatment models. This approach not only enhances patient quality of life and survival but also reduces the economic burden of later stage cancer care.
Most of the drugs currently in development focus on preventing recurrence after surgery or radiotherapy—treatments that are not only costly, but also long-term and taxing for patients. This highlights the urgent need to shift the focus earlier, to prevent disease progression before it has a chance to take hold.
What makes oral cancer unique is that there is a significant and critical window for intervention, beginning in the dentist’s chair.
In most cases of oral cancer, people first develop pre-cancerous lesions that present as white or red patches in the mouth. These lesions are identified during routine dental examinations, presenting an opportunity to halt disease progression before it advances to malignant stages.
However, there are currently no approved treatments that specifically address these early changes. For many patients, the only options are to wait and see whether a lesion becomes cancerous, or to undergo invasive surgery to remove a suspicious patch of tissue.
Instead of passively waiting or resorting to surgery, we asked: what if there was a way to stop mouth cancer before it starts?
LXD191: A light-activated therapy for pre-cancerous oral lesions
At LightOx, we are developing LXD191, a first-in-class, light-activated therapeutic designed to target pre-cancerous cells in the mouth. Applied topically as a gel and activated by a specific wavelength of light already available usingstandard equipment in most dental clinics, LXD191 is designed to be easy to use, non-invasive, and low-cost.
Importantly, the targeted nature of LXD191 means it acts precisely at the site of the lesion without harming healthy tissue. This localised treatment minimises side effects and preserves oral function.
It also allows for repeated applications if necessary, offering clinicians a new tool in the gap between passive surveillance and aggressive intervention. In turn, this means less surgery, fewer long-term side effects, and a better quality of life for patients.
A pioneering approach to mouth cancer prevention
As we see it, the future of oral oncology lies in early, targeted intervention to prevent the disease from developing in the first place.
Oral epithelial dysplasia is often underreported but likely affects hundreds of thousands each year. Because our technology is designed to integrate seamlessly with standard dental equipment, we’re building a solution that’s not just innovative, but scalable and accessible across diverse healthcare settings.
Our chemistry is also distinct. It’s supported by a growing IP portfolio and has potential applications beyond oral cancer, including in wider oncology, infectious disease and wound care. This breadth reinforces our belief that we’re not only solving a specific clinical challenge, we’re opening the door to a wider range of therapies that can help even more people in the years to come.
As healthcare systems increasingly embrace the need for early detection and prevention, we’re proud to be contributing to that movement with a solution grounded in science, accessibility, and compassion for patients.
We’re not just developing a new treatment: we’re reimagining how oral cancer is approached, offering hope for a future where oral cancer is not only treatable, but preventable.
