Earlier Changes Everything: Transforming Liver Care Through Digital Innovation

The Silent Progression of Chronic Liver Disease

Chronic liver disease has emerged as a significant global health burden, currently affecting one in five people worldwide.1 Often characterized as a “silent” threat, the disease frequently progresses without noticeable symptoms, leaving many undiagnosed. Today, 1.5 billion people around the world are affected by chronic liver disease2, despite 90% of these cases being preventable.3

While causes for CLD are wide-ranging, there is a significant global shift towards lifestyle-associated conditions, with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) now being recognized as the most common cause for chronic liver disease. The condition is heavily linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity, becoming the fastest-growing cause of liver cancer worldwide.4

From Early Detection to Treatment: Optimizing Liver Care

As chronic liver disease progresses without noticeable symptoms in its early stages, focusing on timely detection across the patient pathway is a critical strategy to effectively manage and reduce the growing global burden of liver disease.

Roche is enhancing chronic liver disease management by integrating traditional biomarkers into digital diagnostics. Using non-invasive data analysis to support the patient journey from fibrosis risk assessment to liver cancer surveillance, we support clinicians in identifying, assessing and managing chronic liver disease through:

• Timely Detection: Early diagnosis of fibrosis and subsequent appropriate management can potentially prevent progression to cirrhosis and its complications and may justify screening in these populations at-risk. 5

• Accessible Screening: Providing non-invasive, blood-based diagnostics to meet the increasing demand for metabolic-related liver disease detection as new treatments emerge.6

• Enhanced Cancer Surveillance: Improving the diagnostic accuracy of surveillance for the most common primary liver cancers, facilitating early-stage detection and significantly increasing long-term survival rates.7

By integrating routinely available clinical data within advanced digital tools, Roche supports clinicians in identifying, assessing, and managing chronic liver disease across the liver disease pathway. Identifying at-risk patients can optimize patient referrals, which may reduce the burden of health care systems allowing them to focus on patients who really need help.

Key Data or Facts

Why it matters

Chronic liver disease is the progressive deterioration of liver functions over time and one of the world's most significant, yet preventable, health burdens. Today, chronic liver disease is increasingly caused by metabolic conditions such as MASLD (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease), which are heavily linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. MASLD now affects 38% of the global population, becoming the fastest-growing cause of liver cancer worldwide.

Empowering Clinicians to Build Healthier Futures for Patients

Roche’s vision is to empower clinicians by turning complex data into actionable insights. Through digital health innovations—such as digital risk stratification tools and advanced data insights—physicians can now better manage risk across the entire chronic liver disease (CLD) pathway. By identifying risks on time, clinicians can take measures that aim to prevent severe complications like cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before they occur. For patients, this means earlier answers, more informed decisions, and better chances at healthier futures.