If you or someone you love is preparing for cancer treatment, you may have read that light therapy (photobiomodulation, or PBM) is one of the best-supported ways to prevent oral mucositis — the painful mouth sores that chemotherapy, head and neck radiation, and stem-cell transplants can cause. The guidelines recommend it. The studies are impressive. And then you ask your treatment center and hear: "We don't offer that here."
So where can you actually get it? I keep a running directory of every publicly documented light therapy program for oral mucositis in the United States, and I update it as the landscape changes. Here is the current picture, and what your options are if no program is near you.
I'm a certified photobiomodulation practitioner, and I supply lasers and protocols to clients remotely, so you'll also get my honest read on the gaps, including the one my own service exists to fill.
First, the FDA Milestone — and What It Did and Didn't Change
In November 2025, the FDA authorized the first device specifically for oral mucositis: the MuReva OM, a mouthpiece system that delivers red light to the whole mouth before each radiation session (FDA authorization). That was a genuine milestone, the first time light therapy for mouth sores entered the US regulatory framework.
But read the fine print. The authorization covers one device, one narrow indication: adults receiving radiation for head and neck cancer where less than 75% of the oral cavity is treated (MuReva). It doesn't cover chemotherapy-only patients, children, or the devices you can buy online. And as of late 2026, the commercial rollout has only just begun - the company is still in early deployment talks with major cancer centers (ASTRO 2026 interview), with a Siemens Healthineers partnership announced in October 2026 to reach radiation oncology practices.
Reimbursement is also still catching up: a new medical code (CPT 1011T) took effect in January 2026, but it's a tracking code that doesn't pay yet.
The Directory: US Programs Documented as of November 2026
No national registry of light therapy programs exists, which is exactly why I keep this list. These are programs that are publicly documented through hospital pages, published studies, nursing-society articles, or manufacturer announcements. Absence from this list doesn't mean a center doesn't offer light therapy; it means it isn't publicly documented. Always ask your treatment team directly.
A few things this table tells you:
Adoption is thin and unevenly spread. These are the programs I can verify from public sources, for a country with 1,300+ Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer programs, that is a rounding error. For comparison, when UK researchers surveyed all 20 children's cancer centres in 2021–22, only two were delivering light therapy (UK survey), and while the UK picture has improved since, with national guidelines now including PBM, access still depends on which hospital treats you.
The strongest programs are pediatric and transplant-focused. That's where the evidence is strongest, so that's where hospitals invested first. Texas Children's results show why: after PBM became routine, the share of transplant patients needing intravenous nutrition fell from 61% to 18%.
MuReva's 12 pivotal-trial sites are the likely next wave. The trial ran at Miami Cancer Institute, NYU Langone, Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital, MetroHealth, and other major centers (MuReva) — trial participation doesn't mean they currently offer the treatment commercially, but they're the most likely early adopters as the rollout proceeds. If your treatment center is on that list, it's worth asking.
Why So Few Programs? Follow the Money
The barriers are practical, not scientific:
· Device cost. Clinical-grade systems run around $20,000 per unit — a capital expense that competes with everything else a cancer program needs. Some existing programs exist because of philanthropic donations.
· Reimbursement lag. With the tracking code not yet paying, hospitals fund light therapy from charity or capital budgets.
· Staffing. Safe PBM needs trained personnel and consistent protocols — a dedicated nurse or team, not just a device in a closet.
What To Do If No Program Is Near You
1. Ask your oncology team directly - and early. "Does our center offer photobiomodulation or low-level laser therapy for oral mucositis - and if not, do you know where it's available?" Radiation oncology departments and transplant units are the most likely to have it. The best time to arrange prevention is before treatment begins.
2. Check whether your insurer covers it. Some US insurers already consider laser therapy medically necessary for mucositis prevention in defined situations. It's worth a phone call before assuming it's out of reach.
3. Ask about the guideline fine print for your situation. Head and neck radiation, or stem-cell transplant? Guidelines recommend PBM. Chemotherapy only, or treating sores that have already appeared? The guidelines don't yet make a formal recommendation (Zadik et al., 2019) - which is why some centers say no, and why your oncology team's judgment matters most.
4. Consider a home-based option with professional guidance. This is what I do: I supply a dual-wavelength (650 nm red + 808 nm near-infrared) cold laser with a written protocol tailored to your treatment calendar, full instructions, and ongoing follow-up. Everything happens remotely - if you can use a video call, we can work together, wherever you are. Shipping the device depends on your country's laser import rules, so we always confirm your destination first. And the honest framing matters to me: home light therapy is evidence-informed supportive care alongside your cancer team, never a replacement for any part of your treatment.
How This Directory Gets Updated
I revise this page when any of these happen: MuReva or Siemens announce named deployment sites, Medicare or major insurers publish coverage decisions, or new programs appear in nursing-society or guideline announcements. If you know of a program not listed here, tell me - verified additions make this resource better for everyone.
Mouth pain that stops someone eating during cancer treatment is not a small thing. If your hospital doesn't offer light therapy yet, you're not imagining the gap - but you have more options than waiting for the system to catch up.
Tracy
I'm Tracy Donegan — a midwife and certified photobiomodulation practitioner (University of Montpellier training) based in Round Rock, Texas. I supply the device described here along with remote protocols and follow-up. This article is educational, not medical advice, and nothing here replaces care from your oncology team. Sources cited throughout.
Sources
· FDA De Novo authorization, MuReva OM (DEN240077): https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf24/DEN240077.pdf
· MuReva evidence page (indication, trial sites): https://murevapt.com/evidence/
· MuReva/Siemens Healthineers co-marketing announcement (Oct 2026): https://www.prweb.com/releases/mureva-phototherapy-and-siemens-healthineers-announce-us-co-marketing-agreement-to-expand-access-to-the-first-fda-authorized-device-for-radiation-induced-oral-mucositis-302890667.html
· ASTRO 2026 interview on rollout status: https://www.oncologysystems.com/blog/astro-2026-exhibition-hall-preview-mike-cogswell-and-mureva/
· CPT 1011T Category III code announcement: https://murevapt.com/2025/12/mureva-cpt-1011t/
· Memorial Sloan Kettering PBM patient education: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/about-your-photobiomodulation-therapy
· St. Jude Together, light therapy for oral mucositis: https://together.stjude.org/en-us/treatment-tests-procedures/procedures/light-therapy-for-oral-mucositis.html
· Texas Children's PBM implementation study (Pediatric Blood & Cancer 2024): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pbc.30966
· MD Anderson CancerWise, red light therapy: https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/what-is-red-light-therapy.h00-159701490.html
· ONS Voice, PBM in oral mucositis care (Sept 2026): https://www.ons.org/publications-research/voice/news-views/09-2026/photobiomodulation-shines-new-light-oral-mucositis-care
· American Oncology Network THOR light therapy announcement: https://www.aoncology.com/2021/03/08/american-oncology-network-to-be-first-medical-oncology-network-in-united-states-to-offer-thor-light-therapy-at-the-center-for-cancer-and-blood-disorders/
· Dana-Farber intraoral PBM pilot trial: https://www.dana-farber.org/clinical-trials/22-036
· UK CCLG PBM availability survey (Supportive Care in Cancer): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9715443/
· CCLG mouth-care and mucositis guidance: https://www.cclg.org.uk/information-professionals/community-care-information-resource/section-7-side-effects-and-supportive-care/mucositis-and-mouth-care
· Zadik Y, et al. (2019), MASCC/ISOO systematic review & guidelines: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7540329/
· Commission on Cancer accredited programs: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer-programs
