Sabah's First Risk-Based Follow up Tool : Why Surviving Colorectal Cancer is Only Half Of the Story

This publication presents a newspaper feature article highlighting the development and application of the CARE CRC Risk Tool, a locally developed clinical risk stratification model designed to support follow up planning for colorectal cancer survivors in Sabah, Malaysia. The tool originates from PhD research focused on relapse prediction and survivorship surveillance, integrating clinical predictors with contextual realities such as geographic distance, access to specialist services, and resource variability across the state. The article discusses how risk based follow up can strengthen post treatment surveillance, reduce loss to follow up, and support more equitable survivorship care in settings where uniform schedules may not reflect patient level risk. It also emphasises the role of locally grounded data in informing digital health tools and decision support systems tailored to regional health system challenges. Published in The Borneo Post on 2 February 2026, this work contributes to public health communication, cancer survivorship discourse, and translational research engagement between academia, clinicians, and the community.