In 2025, Lombardy will launch a lung cancer screening as part of a new health prevention initiative. Councillor Bertolaso announced that €664,000 has been allocated to support this program, aimed at addressing the high incidence of the disease in the region, which reports approximately 7,800 new cases each year, predominantly among men. Currently, lung cancer screening is not included in the services offered by the National Health Service, but the goal is to gather useful data to have it included in the Essential Levels of Care (Lea).
The program will initially focus on residents aged 60 to 64 with a history of heavy smoking and will utilize low-dose CT scans for lung evaluation. In the subsequent phase, it will also be extended to age groups between 55 and 74 years. To facilitate citizen participation, recruitment will be conducted throughout the regional territory via the Citizen Portal of the Lombardy Region. The Welfare Directorate will monitor adherence to existing screening programs to assess their effectiveness and plan for potential increases in available resources.
