Our CSO, Professor Carrie Ambler, attended the Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Conference this year. As one of the most important events in our calendar, it’s also a place where we learn directly from the people at the heart of our work.
Below, Carrie shares her thoughts in her own words.
The Swallows Head and Neck Conference is always a powerful experience for me. It brings together people who have lived through head and neck cancer, along with their carers, clinicians and support teams. The charity (which was established by Chris and Sharon Curtis) helps patients navigate every stage of recovery from treatment of head and neck cancers. This includes patients with early lesions, which we focus on at LightOx, all the way through to complex cancers of the throat, larynx, tongue and wider head and neck region.
Aswell as a support group for patients and survivors, the Swallows was also set up to advocate for new treatments and therapies, and to look at the ongoing impacts and challenges patients face from treatments and life more generally in the short, medium and long term.
The conference is a space full of honesty and sometimes hard conversations, but also a place of stories of resilience. It’s an event that is also a powerful reminder of our mission at LightOx, to enhance patient experience and provide an effective and alternative non-invasive treatment for early-stage oral cancer. This year’s theme was “Survivorship is not survivorship without quality of life” – a message that really resonated throughout the conference.
Today’s challenges and statistics
It’s true that more patients are surviving head and neck cancer than ever before. With survival rates reaching 70–90%, depending on when cancer is caught early, where it’s located and what type of cancer it is.
Unfortunately, survival is only one part of the story. Many people face lifelong effects from cancer treatments, with most of those patients’ requiring surgery and radiotherapy- a key topic of discussion this year. The ongoing problems caused by radiotherapy were discussed in depth at this year’s conference. Radiotherapy results in varying consequences for patients including fibrosis, stiffening of the tissues making swallowing, chewing and speaking incredibly difficult. Salivary gland destruction is also a common side effect forcing upon patients: dental problems, dry mouth and having to re-learn how to eat. Post-radiotherapy effects develop over time and one patient this year shared the story of having their jaw bone die almost a full decade after radiotherapy, leading to significant reconstructive surgery.
The ’whole person’ impact
Alongside the physical effects of cancer treatment, there are also deep psychological challenges. Fatigue, brain fog, depression and the sense of losing the ability to support yourself or your family. Another point of discussion that came through clearly was the way in which patients are often treated symptomatically, looking at immediate problems and instead the need to take a ‘whole person’ approach to treatment.
Progress through patient conversation
At LightOx, we are fortunate to have attended the Swallows conference year on year. The opportunity to meet different clinicians, nurses, specialists and patients is truly meaningful. Patient feedback plays such an integral part of our work, enabling us to improve our treatments and tailor it to patient needs as best we can. The Swallows conference is a great chance to share our story and pick up feedback from those impacted. By meeting patients, the LightOx team see and hear first-hand the potential impact our treatment could have.
We often see the same patients year after year at this event, getting the opportunity to see their road to recovery over time. Last year at the Sheffield conference, I met a man named Ron. He had just completed his final round of radiotherapy which had taken an enormous toll on him. The Swallows event was his first outing since his treatment ended. He was exhausted both physically and emotionally after going through 30 solid days of radiotherapy and struggling with mouth sores, dental complications and the sheer effort of recovering from radiation.
This year, Ron arrived as a different person which was truly wonderful to see! Of course, he is not without ongoing issues, but the improvement in his confidence, energy and sense of self was remarkable. Watching that journey is a privilege and reminds me why these events matter and the very reason we do what we do at LightOx.
The Swallows Conference is always full of invaluable insights and learnings, and this year was certainly no different but for me the biggest takeaway of 2025 is simple – radiotherapy is incredibly invasive and a brutal reality for those suffering from head, neck and mouth cancers. These patient impacts are, in part, why we at LightOx continue our drive to change lives and develop a treatment for early pre-cancerous legions so that we can prevent patients from undergoing invasive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. It’s the reason I’m so proud of the dedication of the our team and our mission to continue to provide better early treatment options so that we can make a significant difference in enhancing the patient and clinical experience.
The Swallows Head and Neck conference is a reminder of the real people behind the science. Their stories guide us, challenge us and strengthen our commitment to developing a treatment that truly makes a difference. Not just in the UK but across the globe.
