The 2026 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI 2026) is being held January 8–10, 2026, at Moscone West in San Francisco, California, with both in-person and online participation available for the global GI oncology community.
Building on its reputation as a premier forum for gastrointestinal cancer research and clinical progress, ASCO GI 2026 convenes medical oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, gastroenterologists, pathologists, radiologists, researchers, trainees, and patient advocates to spotlight advances spanning translational science, precision therapies, and multidisciplinary care.
Across scientific sessions, educational programming, and featured abstract presentations, the meeting highlights emerging data and practical insights across the spectrum of GI malignancies supporting timely knowledge-sharing and broad accessibility through its hybrid format.
25 Posts Not To Miss From ASCO GI
“It was wonderful meeting many of our GI26 Featured Voices in person! A huge ‘thank you’ to ALL of you for lending your time & expertise to help digest symposium findings and provide key takeaways. We couldn’t do it without you!”
“Advances for GI cancers are emerging rapidly, more rapidly than we can deliver on this promise to all of the people who need it. How do we meet this challenging moment with courage?
Yesterday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, I shared why we need to expand opportunities for clinical research beyond our traditional boundaries, and to engage partners from the community to build capacity for new models of cancer research and care. Cancer care is improving, even for the hardest-to-treat gastrointestinal cancers, and we have bold opportunities to deliver individualized prevention, detection, treatment, and care.
At The James in Ohio, we are:
· Creating new models of communication and care, meeting people where they are — rural communities and homes.
· Expanding clinical trials access to accelerate discoveries for more people.
· Investing in technological innovation to make people feel and truly be more connected.
What good ways are you and your colleagues meeting this moment of challenge? Please add a comment below.”
“Hanging out at GI26: ASCO mtg mascots Liam the Llama & Marty the Merlion. Liam’s 1st mtg was ASCOQLTY25 – he’s pretty impressed w/GI. Marty, official mascot of ASCOBT26, is gearing up for Breakthrough in Singapore. A merlion -1/2 lion, 1/2 fish- is Singapore’s mythical mascot.”
“Being at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s GI Conference is always energizing. It is an honor to be among so many advocates, patients, researchers, and clinicians focused on improving and advancing cancer care and research. So much has been accomplished, and there is still more to do. I know that what once seemed unattainable is now possible, thanks to incredible collaboration.
Please stop by and visit with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation team at Booth 68!”
“It was a great pleasure meeting Prof.Humaid Al-Shamsi MB(IRL),FRCP(Lon),FRCP(Ca),FRCP(Glasgow),FACP(US) at ASCO GI26 in San Francisco. I was truly impressed by his engagement always in the front row, deeply committed, and actively engaged. An inspiring physician who motivates not only colleagues in the UAE, but physicians across the entire Middle East.”
“When you see this curve for MSI high pts , u know that problem is with the drug – atezolizumab. It underperformed In MSI high pts in COMMIT trial . Why to use it in adjuvant setting? May be other IO Drugs will perform better in Adjuvant MSI CRC setting ?”
“A great session at ASCO GI this morning: Navigation Early-onset Gastrointestinal Cancers – From Diagnosid to Survivorship!
Starting with Sydney Towle’s very poignant testimony. A big thank you to: Sydney Towle, Shruti Rajesh Patel, Jennifer Weiss, Kimmie Ng.”
“Great presentation on advancements in RT for liver metastases. Ablative RT can be curative, non-invasive, & efficient. No better person than Michael Chuong to highlight the evolution & potential of innovative RT technologies in this space.”
“HERIZON-GEA-01: Ph III practice- changing! gi26 Zani+Tisli+chemo showing benefit vs chemo+herceptin (PFS +4 mo, OS +7mo) Zani+chemo vs. herceptin+chemo: PFS benefit. OS pending. More diarrhea but seems that primary Px mitigated some ofit! QOL data will be important.”
“GI26 COMMIT, now with the full presentation data, deserves a serious re-examination. Dr. Rocha Lima presents COMMIT 1L dMMR/MSI-H mCRC Atezolizumab alone vs FOLFOX + bevacizumab + atezolizumab Key results that stand out: PFS separation is striking mPFS 24.5 vs 5.3 months HR 0.439 This looks less like chemotherapy adding benefit and more like underperformance of the PD-L1–only arm, particularly when contrasted with prior PD-1 data from CHECKMATE-8HW and KEYNOTE-177. Risk stratification still matters Higher-risk patients appeared to do better with the chemo-containing arm, suggesting disease tempo still plays a role even in MSI-H disease. Toxicity is real Grade 5 events in 9.5% on FOLFOX + bev + atezolizumab is not trivial and sharply limits enthusiasm for universal escalation. Putting this in context: CHECKMATE-8HW stopped enrollment early, and at this point 8HW remains the clearest dataset supporting PD-1–based therapy in MSI-H mCRC. The atezolizumab signal here is surprising. Overall survival looks similar between arms, which may reflect effective post-progression rescue, potentially with dual checkpoint strategies. Bottom line This does not argue for chemo-IO for everyone. It reinforces that PD-1 and PD-L1 are not interchangeable, and that PD-1 blockade remains the backbone in MSI-H colorectal cancer.”
“Impressive follow up results from Breakwater showing promising OS trend with combination therapy for an aggressive CRC population. How to further improve giving already at quadruple therapy combination. Novel mechanisms of action needed for the future.”
“GI26 Marsha Reyngold from MSKCC dove into a deep discussion on the somewhat controversial role of the role of radiation therapy for patients with borderline resectable and for locally advanced pancreatic cancer Do you recommend radiation for your patients with BRPC.”
Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP:
“Great to see my colleagues Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, USC, Gulam Abbas Manji, Columbia University,
and Steve Noga Exact Sciences at GI26.”
“Hot off the press New in JCO: I-PREDICT study breaks ground in N-of-1 precisionmedicine. Customized drug combos based on molecular profiling. More matching = better outcomes across all endpoints. This is the playbook for the next Next Gen Precision Oncology.”
“Remarkable to see evidence of benefit for immunotherapy (durvalumab, atop olaparib) in DNA damage repair-deficient (BRCA or PALB2 mutant) pancreatic adenocarcinoma (s/p platinum).”
“Thank you Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation and Dr Juan Valle for the opportunity to meet and chat with such incredible senior investigators and leaders in the field.”
“Liver-directed Tx CRCLM more for MDT GI26 molecular/biology each talk Rads as std & future role IR-PVE &Y90/ablation NB COLLISION Transplant debate: selection need control!-but in right pt high OS; more CRCLM will have sx/other.”
“Dr. Rocha Lima presents COMMIT: atezo vs FOLFOX/atezo/bev for dMMR/MSI-H 1L mCRC. mPFS 24.5 vs 5.3 months (HR 0.439) – mitigation of early progression w/ chemo? Higher risk patients did better with chemo? 9.5% G5 deaths on FOLFOX/bev/atezo (!)”
“Honored to have had the opportunity to discuss the ILUSTRO and HERIZON-GEA-01 studies presented by Dr. Kohei Shitara & Dr. Elimova at ASCO GI26 Biomarker driven progress in advanced gastroesophageal cancers.”
“Just out NEST-1 trial results Are we on the verge of a new drug combo for colon or rectal cancer? Substantial & brisk responses to just dose of BOT BAL immunotherapy. Pattern & kill is unprecedented.”
“As highlighted ASCO GI26, the development of KRAS inhibitors underscores not only therapeutic promise, but the critical need to understand mutation-specific biology and resistance. Trials are looking at front-line combinations, perioperative settings, maintenance strategies.”
” Thrilled to present our meta-analysis on immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors at ASCOGI! Pooled data show modest ORR but meaningful disease stabilization, highlighting the need for biomarker-driven strategies. Grateful to my incredible co-author Zouina Sarfraz, Sarbajit Mukherjee, Deepak Vadehra, Manmeet Ahluwalia, Fatma Nihan Akkoc Mustafayev. ”
“Just published! Our RWE ICIs in MSI-H/dMMR GI tumors Multicenter Spanish cohort (122 pts) ORR 77 %, DCR 91%, PFS 46 mo, OS 53.2 mo Similar benefit across CRC, GEA & other GI tumors ECOG PS, only independent prognostic factor Manageable safety (G3-4 AEs: 10.7%).”
“GI26 ASCO oncofertility in early-onset GI cancers: Shruti Patel MD’s great talk featuring our study where 44% crcsm pt reported fertility pres discussion b4 tx: http://bit.ly/4sy9Zhz Our PGY2 Vanderbilt Health, Zoe Finer, presenting on pt insurance access to fert pres services.”
“Results of NRG onc SWOG COMMITT trial immunotherapy in combination with chemo in newly dx’d MSI High met colorectal cancer Median F/U 3.5yrs PFS: 24.5 M vs. 5.3M; HR = 0.439, p= 0.0103 ORR: 86.1% vs. 46% (CR: 36.1 vs. 18.9%) NS OS (HR= 1.04; p= 0.90; secondary).”
“Longitudinal study on the influence of physical activity in managing cancer-related fatigue in patients with colorectal cancer. Walking reduces fatigue and improve Qol in non-metastatic CRC Easy to implement, we need stage specific recommendations.”
15 Posts Not To Miss From ASCO GI 2026, part 1
Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD