JANUARY 13 — January is often framed as a season of fresh starts. We speak of resolutions, momentum and hope. 

But for those working in science and medicine, the New Year also brings quieter reflection — on responsibility, continuity, and the long arc of work that does not reset neatly with the calendar.

It is in this spirit that the Advanced Medical and Dental Institute at Universiti Sains Malaysia has taken on a new identity as the Cancer Research and Specialist Centre, USM. 

While a change in name may appear administrative, in research, names matter. They signal intent, sharpen focus, and set expectations. Naming cancer explicitly is not symbolic. It is an acknowledgement of urgency and responsibility.

Cancer is already part of us

Cancer is no longer a distant or uncommon disease in Malaysia. It is present in households across the country, cutting across geography, income, and age. 

This reality becomes especially clear during my outreach activities. Much of my engagement with school students centres on DNA, with discussions extending towards its applications in daily life.

Yet, time and again, when discussions turn to how changes in DNA can lead to disease, the atmosphere in the classroom shifts. 

Students begin to respond — sometimes hesitantly, sometimes with striking clarity. They speak of a parent, a grandparent, or even a sibling who had cancer. 

Some add quietly that they passed away. Others ask harder, more critical questions, seeking to understand not just what happened, but why.

These moments are never planned, but they are deeply telling. They remind us that for many young Malaysians, cancer is not a distant or future possibility. It is already part of their lived experience.

For me, as a cancer scientist, these encounters resonate deeply. Hearing students speak about loved ones lost to cancer sharpens my sense of purpose. 

It motivates me to look critically at what we can do — not just to cure cancer, but to intervene earlier and prevent unnecessary suffering. In this field, curiosity matures quickly. 

It becomes responsibility: the responsibility to understand why disease emerges, why treatments fail, and how we can design interventions that are more precise, more effective, and less harmful.

According to the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report 2017-2021, the lifetime risk of developing cancer is estimated at one in eight during the 2017-2021 period, compared to one in 10 during 2012–2016. 

Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian males. While incidence increases with age, a concerning rise is seen across all age groups during this period. 

Among females, breast cancer remains the most common cancer, with higher incidence rates observed from age 40 onwards compared to the previous reporting period.

These figures may seem statistical, but their meaning is simple: cancer is becoming more common within a single generation.

Technology, talent, and the future of cancer care

Malaysia will need more cancer specialists, more cancer scientists, and more interdisciplinary thinkers in the years ahead. 

As technology advances, tools such as artificial intelligence hold immense promise — from expediting diagnosis, to predicting risk among individuals with strong family histories, to enabling earlier and more personalised interventions. 

But technology alone cannot save lives. It must be guided by strong scientific foundations, ethical responsibility, and a workforce prepared to ask the right questions.

This is why early exposure to science matters — not merely to produce future scientists, but to cultivate understanding, confidence, and curiosity early in life. 

When students are introduced to concepts such as DNA, they are not just learning biology. They are being equipped with the language to understand disease, the confidence to ask questions, and the awareness to engage with science as something relevant to their lives.

When an institution places cancer at the centre of its mission, it reflects a shift from broad capability-building towards precision, relevance, and translation — from asking what science can do, to asking what it must do.

As the New Year begins and as institutions evolve to meet emerging challenges, this moment calls for reflection rather than resolution. 

A name change does not promise cures. But it signals commitment — to patience, to precision, and to the long, often unseen work that cancer research demands.

If science is to meet the burden that cancer places on our society, it must be allowed to grow from curiosity into care, from discovery into responsibility. And that journey must begin early, be sustained thoughtfully, and be supported collectively — for the lives we seek to save, and for the future we hope to build.

* Ts Dr Asmida Isa is a senior lecturer and researcher at Pusat Pakar Klinikal dan Penyelidikan Kanser, Universiti Sains Malaysia and may be reached at asmida.isa@usm.my

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.