Renske Altena

Renske Altena

Affiliated to Research | Docent
Visiting address: BioClinicum J5:30, Visionsgatan 4, 17164 Solna
Postal address: K7 Onkologi-Patologi, K7 Forskning Tran, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Dr. Renske Altena is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of breast and thyroid cancer with a special interest in radiopharmaceutical treatment. She serves as an Associate Professor in Oncology at the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet and is a senior consultant and lead physician at Docrates Cancer Center's Clinic in Stockholm, Sweden.

    She completed her medical degree at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands in 2006, followed by a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences in 2011. She has held various medical positions in both the Netherlands and Sweden, becoming a consultant oncologist in Sweden in June 2018.

    Renske serves various positions of trust, such as the executive board of Cancer Research KI, Cancerklinikens Jubileumfond in Gothenburg and the Ethical Review Authority in Stockholm. She is active in educational activities and outreach for the Swedish Oncological society, SOF. 

Research

  • Dr. Altena's research focuses on clinical trials aimed at improving cancer patient management. A key aspect of her work involves investigating radiopharmaceuticals for cancer visualization and treatment. This is conducted in close collaboration with multidisciplinary experts, including radiopharmacists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists. Within this team, she leads a work package in a VINNOVA-funded national project, conducting a clinical trial on precision imaging for patients with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer.

    Additionally, Dr. Altena is actively involved in several projects exploring the role of physical exercise in cancer treatment and management. Notable examples include the Neo-ACT and EFFECT trials.

Teaching

  • Over 200 hours teaching to undergraduate and doctoral students
    Courses - KI's Introductory Course for Doctoral Supervisors (2022); Grundläggande Högskolpedagogik (2019); Teach the Teacher (2012),

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2027
    Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) have poor prognoses with low survival rates. Treatment options for these metastatic solid tumors have been expanded through the introduction of checkpoint inhibitors (such as atezolizumab and pembrolizumab), systemic chemotherapy, or antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) directed against cell surface proteins like TROP-2 (Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2).A promising approach is to develop radiotheranostics using radiolabelled novel antibodies that target TROP-2 expression, a protein highly expressed in both TNBC and mUC. The concept utilizes  a TROP-2 specific monoclonal antibody, radiolabelled with alpha- or beta particle radiation for therapy or radiolabelled with gamma och positron radiation for diagnostics. This approach delivers therapeutic quantities of radioactivity specifically to the tumor cells while sparing normal tissues. The same antibody, radiolabelled with diagnostic radionuclides, tumors are detected by imaging modalities that are currently used in clinical practice. We believe that targeting TROP-2 with radiotheranostics might provide an effective treatment option with a favourable toxicity-benefit balance, and might be a better option for patients who do not respond to ADC or other later line systemic therapies. The project is currently in preclinical development and has high translational feasibility into patients within 4-5 years.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2021 - 30 November 2025
    Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is increasingly used in breast cancer. The best proof of NACT efficacy is pathological complete response (pCR), i.e. the absence of invasive tumour on post-NACT surgical histopathology. While it is known that physical exercise can help patients to better tolerate and complete often harsh cancer treatments, it is an emerging area of research to understand if and how exercise exerts anti-tumour effects and improves oncological outcomes. The main aim of the Neo-ACT trial is to examine if a physical exercise intervention during NACT can increase pCR rates in breast cancer. Secondary aims are patient-related outcomes (health-related quality of life, physical activity), physiological outcomes (muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness), cancer treatment-related toxicities (cognitive dysfunction, chemotherapy completion rates) and long-term sick leave. Furthermore, the trial will explore how physical exercise affects anti-tumoral mechanisms inherent to therapy or host by hypothesis-generating translational analyses.712 patients with primary invasive breast cancer will be randomized to either a supervised intervention of high-intensity interval and resistance training during NACT, supported by an exercise app, or to usual care, and followed for two years. Physical activity is meticulously tracked. By offering patients active involvement, the trial contributes strongly to the concept of personalized medicine.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2021
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2019 - 31 March 2021
  • Dutch Cancer Society
    1 January 2009 - 1 January 2011

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2027

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Oncology, Karolinska Institutet, 2023

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