Pancreatic cancer often progresses undetected for a long time – and is therefore frequently diagnosed late. In Switzerland, around 1,500 people are diagnosed each year. Only about 12% survive five years.

There is no standard screening test. Symptoms blend into everyday discomfort. By the time a diagnosis arrives, the cancer has usually already escaped the pancreas.

That picture is starting to shift. Full-body MRI can now detect pancreatic abnormalities before any symptoms appear, giving people – particularly those with elevated risk – a way to act before the disease takes the upper hand.

One in three European adults has fatty liver disease. In Switzerland, the picture is similar. Most people have no idea.

The early stages produce few symptoms, sometimes none, and routine check-ups rarely catch it. A standard Grundversicherung appointment doesn't include liver imaging, and basic blood tests often miss early-stage fat accumulation entirely.

That silence is the problem. Undetected, a fatty liver can progress through inflammation, scarring, cirrhosis, and on to liver cancer or organ failure. Caught early, it is largely reversible through lifestyle changes alone.

Here is what fatty liver disease is, who gets it, how it is found, and what to do about it.

A standard blood test performed by your GP in Switzerland typically checks a handful of values: a blood count, glucose, a few electrolytes and kreatinine, a basic lipid panel, and a few liver enzymes. The results come back as "normal" or "abnormal," and unless something is flagged, the conversation ends there.

But "normal" is a broad range. A fasting glucose of 5.5 mmol/L is technically normal but sits at the upper boundary, a very different metabolic picture from 4.2 mmol/L. The same applies to cholesterol, inflammation markers, and dozens of other blood biomarkers that most standard panels do not include at all.

For people who want to understand their cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory health in detail, a more comprehensive approach matters. Blood biomarkers are among the most accessible and informative tools in preventive medicine, and the science behind which ones to measure has advanced considerably.