Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): Clinician and Pathologist Perspectives

This presentation will review the new MASLD/MASH nomenclature, describe the magnitude of the problem in the United States, and provide an overview of current treatment strategies. We will discuss the key diagnostic features of MASLD/MASH and emphasize the importance of checking for other potential contributing factors to the patient’s liver disease. We will describe the importance of MASLD/MASH as a driver of hepatocellular carcinoma, even in the absence of cirrhosis.

Lecture Presenters
Kimberley J. Evason, MD, PhD
Kimberley J. Evason, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Utah School of Medicine
Subspecialty Director, Hepatic Pathology, ARUP Laboratories

Dr. Kimberley J. Evason is an associate professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine and an investigator in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She received her medical and doctorate degrees through the Medical Scientist Training Program at Washington University in St. Louis. She served a residency and completed fellowship training in anatomic and liver/gastrointestinal pathology at the University of California at San Francisco, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship mentored by Didier Stainier, Andrei Goga, and J. Michael Bishop. Dr. Evason’s research and clinical interests are centered on gastrointestinal and liver pathology, with a specific focus on hepatocellular carcinoma. She is currently investigating molecular pathways and identifying drugs that influence liver tumorigenesis.

Juan F. Gallegos-Orozco, MD
Juan F. Gallegos-Orozco, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Medical Director, Hepatology and Liver Transplant, University of Utah School of Medicine

Dr. Juan F. Gallegos-Orozco graduated from medical school in Mexico and completed postgraduate medical education in internal medicine and gastroenterology in both Mexico and the United States, where he completed fellowship training in Transplant Hepatology at the prestigious Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, in June 2012. His main clinical and research interests include the management of chronic viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and liver transplantation. He has published many research articles on these and other topics and has authored several book chapters pertaining to liver diseases. Dr. Gallegos-Orozco joined the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Utah School of Medicine in July 2012 and is currently an associate professor of medicine and serves as the medical director for Hepatology and Liver Transplant.

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

Define MASLD and differentiate simple steatosis from MASH
Describe the magnitude of the problem in the United States
Formulate a diagnostic approach to liver biopsies from patients with suspected MASLD, including checking for other contributing etiologies
Select the best treatment strategy for patients with MASLD depending on the severity of the disease