BRECT - Breast Cancer Theme Center
The Breast Cancer Theme Center (BRECT) provides a platform for interactions and collaborations in breast cancer research at Karolinska Institutet. BRECT is open for all researchers at KI within the breast cancer field.
We aim to increase our understanding of critical steps in breast cancer development and therapy. The research span from basic studies using cell lines, animal models and patient biopsies, to prospective clinical studies and clinical trials, with the ultimate goal to improve breast cancer therapy and disease outcome.
To provide education and networking in breast cancer research, BRECT regularly organizes retreats, mini-symposia and seminars with a mix of invited internationally leading researchers and presentations from researchers at KI.
Upcoming meetings
Stockholm Breast Cancer Summit:
November 16-17, 2026, at Ellery Beach House on Lidingö.
Stckholm Breast Cancer Summit 2026 - Uniting discovery, translation and clinical impact
Welcome
Arrival and welcome sandwich
Opening remarks
BRECT Director, Professor Johan Hartman
Keynote speaker Robert Clarke, University of Manchester, UK
"Targeting Hormonal Pathways for Breast Cancer Prevention: Anti-progestin Therapy and Beyond”
Break
Session 1
Hege Russnes (Oslo University Hospital, NO) ”From Intratumour Heterogeneity to Immune Exhaustion: Precision Medicine in Breast Cancer”
Mattias Rantalainen (Karolinska Institutet, SE) ” Artificial Intelligence-based precision pathology: scalable phenotyping and clinical precision diagnos cs for breast cancer”
Fredrik Wärnberg (Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE) ”Refining Breast Cancer Surgery: SPIO-Guided Sentinel Node Mapping and Long-Term Outcomes”
Two short talks selected from submitted abstracts
Lunch
Keynote speaker Marleen Kok, NKI, Amsterdam, NL
“Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy and Immune Biomarkers in Early-Stage Triple-Nega ve and Luminal Breast Cancer”
Coffee break
Session 2
Carina Strell (University of Bergen, NO) ”In Situ Immune and Signalling Biomarkers to Refine Prognosis in Early Breast Cancer”
Kristian Pietras (Lund University, SE) ” Spatial and Functional Heterogeneity of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Breast Cancer”
Marike Gabrielson (Karolinska Institutet, SE) ”Hormonal Prevention, Proteomic Biomarkers and Breast Tissue Stiffness: Insights from KARISMA and Related Trials”
Two short talks selected from submitted abstracts.
Leisure time
Dinner
Poster session
Breakfast and checkout
Keynote speaker Christos Sotiriou, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, BE
“Spatial Transcriptomics and Immune Biomarkers in Triple-Negative and Lobular Breast Cancer”
Session 3
Henrik Lindman (Uppsala University, SE) ”Long-Term Outcomes of Adjuvant Systemic Therapy in Early Breast Cancer: Lessons from Trials and Real-World Data”
Arne Östman (Karolinska Institutet, SE) ”Stromal PDGFR Signalling, Fibroblast Heterogeneity and Biomarkers of Therapy Response in Breast Cancer”
Two short talks selected from submitted abstracts
Coffee break
Session 4
Kristina Lång (Lund University, SE) ”AI-Supported Mammography Screening: Performance, Interval Cancer and Radiologists’ Trust”
Kamila Czene (Karolinska Institutet, SE) ”Screening Participation, Interval Cancers and Familial Risk: Population-Based Insights into Breast Cancer Outcomes”
Two short talks selected from submitted abstracts
Keynote speaker Jana de Boniface, KI, Stockholm, Sweden
“Refining Axillary Surgery and De-escalation Strategies in Contemporary Breast Cancer Care”