The ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress (ESMO GI 2026) will take place from 1 to 4 July 2026 in Munich, Germany, with virtual participation also available through a dedicated online platform.
Hosted at the ICM–International Congress Center of Messe München, the congress will bring together leading specialists, researchers, and healthcare professionals to discuss advances across the continuum of gastrointestinal cancer care, including prevention, diagnosis, biomarker-guided treatment, systemic therapies, and quality of life.
Scientific Committee Co-Chairs
20 Posts Not To Miss From ESMO GI 2026
“Welcome to ESMO GI 2026 — happening now in Munich and online! Four days of science, networking, and innovation in GI oncology. Share your experience and tag us!”
“Great presentation by Prof. Maria Reig on the treatment of HCC at ESMO GI 2026.”
“It was an honor to present as rapid oral at the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Annual Congress the first results of the AGEO-NEO-MSI study, evaluating neoadjuvant immunotherapy in 316 dMMR/MSI colorectal cancer patients treated in more than 30 international centers.
Thanks to the patients who participated, the colleagues who contributed to this work and the scientific committee for having selected our abstract!”
“I had the pleasure of co-chairing the educational session on HCC today at ESMO GI 2026 with Richard Finn.
The room was full, and it is a big one!
Great panel of experts.
Individualising care.
Combining systemic therapy and locoregional therapy, or not, depending on the aim.
Endpoints.”
“A thought-provoking analysis by Teresa Macarulla at ESMOGI2026 on one of the key questions in pancreatic cancer: how to maximize the impact of RAS inhibition.
The discussion highlighted that success will depend not only on developing effective inhibitors, but also on understanding when to use them, how to overcome resistance, and which rational combinations can deliver more durable benefit.
As the therapeutic landscape evolves, optimizing sequencing and combination strategies will be central to improving outcomes for patients with PDAC.”
“ESMOGI2026 Munich Science + curiosity + meeting great people = inspiration…”
“Data from the EMERALD-1 trial at ESMO GI 2026 for intermediate-stage HCC: randomized phase III DurvaBevTACE versus TACE.
Prior PFS reported. No OS benefit. Deaths at 16 weeks?
A recurring topic: patient selection?”
“Alessandro Pastorino, Medical Oncologist at IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino in Genoa, Italy, shared his research at ESMO GI 2026.
VIVA trial: A randomized phase II study of adjuvant regorafenib plus durvalumab in stage IV colorectal cancer patients achieving a no-evidence-of-disease state.”
“Reflections on cholangiocarcinoma at ESMO GI 2026.
Can we improve something? Yes!
We are testing, but not with the best tool.
We must push for hybrid-capture NGS, especially for intrahepatic CCA, so we do not miss any FGFR2 fusions.”
“Great geriatric oncology session this morning at ESMO GI 2026, with dedicated chairs Demetris Papamichael and Tania Fleitas Kanonnikoff, and speakers David Sebag-Montefiore and Gabor Liposits, to discuss what matters most to older patients with GI cancers.
Minimal assessment is necessary to guide treatment strategies.
Shared decision-making is key.
Sometimes, less is more.
Presentation of the guidelines just published in The Lancet Group.”
ESMO – European Society for Medical Oncology:
“Congratulations to the ESMO Merit Award recipients at ESMO GI 2026.
As part of ESMO’s commitment to supporting the next generation within the oncology community, we recognise these young researchers for the scientific merit of their abstracts.
ESMO looks forward to their continued contributions to cancer research.”
“EMERALD-1 and EMERALD-3 discussion at ESMO GI 2026.
PFS alone may not be enough.
OS remains the key endpoint.
Patient selection, early mortality, toxicity, and post-TACE treatment sequencing matter.
The role of immunotherapy plus TACE continues to evolve.”
“Ideas inspire. Research transforms them. Collaboration makes them a reality.
GOY is proud to be at ESMO GI 2026, where scientific exchange drives innovation and every conversation has the potential to improve the future of gastrointestinal oncology.
Angelica Petrillo, Maria Maddalena Laterza, Giuseppe Santabarbara, Giuseppe Tirino, Gianluca Arrichiello, Chiara Carmen Miceli, Mariateresa Cocule, Antonella Nicastro, Maria Anna Canciello.”
“Excited to be presenting our poster today at ESMO GI 2026!
It is a privilege to share our real-world experience on the impact of failing to reach surgery after neoadjuvant therapy in patients with localized gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.
In our single-center cohort of 96 consecutive patients treated between 2018 and 2024:
86.5% successfully proceeded to surgery, while 13.5% did not complete the planned curative treatment pathway.
Among patients who underwent surgery, the R0 resection rate was 74.7%.
Reaching surgery translated into better outcomes, with a median progression-free survival of 14.6 versus 11.8 months and a median overall survival of 43.5 versus 34.6 months compared with patients who did not undergo surgery.
Disease progression was the most frequent reason for failure to proceed to surgery.
These findings remind us that, even in the era of multimodal treatment, completing the curative pathway remains a major challenge for a subset of patients. Better patient selection, closer monitoring, and optimized multidisciplinary care are essential to maximize the chance of reaching surgery and improving long-term outcomes.
I’m grateful to all my colleagues and collaborators who contributed to this work, and I look forward to discussing our results with the GI oncology community throughout the meeting.”
“Proud to be at ESMO GI 2026 with the Nutricia team, raising awareness of the important role of nutritional care in GI cancer.
Too often, nutrition is seen as an optional extra. It should be an integral part of the cancer care pathway from the start. Early nutritional intervention can help patients better tolerate treatment and support better outcomes.”
“Excited to share that our research has been accepted for presentation at the ESMO GI Congress 2026!
Poster 169eP: Omitting the 5-fluorouracil bolus in metastatic colorectal cancer: Impact on survival and toxicity in a retrospective multicenter cohort.
I’m grateful to my co-authors and collaborators for their dedication and teamwork. Looking forward to presenting our findings and engaging in valuable discussions with colleagues from around the world.”
“Stellar presentation by Annalice Gandini at ESMO GI 2026.
Largest neoadjuvant immunotherapy-treated dMMR colorectal cancer cohort to date, including 316 patients.
Observational cohort from more than 30 centers across six countries.
77% received single-agent immunotherapy, while 23% received doublet immunotherapy.
The pathological complete response rate of 66% is concordant with the literature.
A two-year event-free survival rate of 86.3%, with 102 patients at risk, is food for thought in this large real-world cohort.
A short course of doublet immunotherapy seems better than a long course of single-agent immunotherapy.
Happy to have contributed to this body of data with our UZ Leuven cohort. Let’s continue the collaboration with Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou through the AGEO-NEO consortium.
Looking forward to the readout of the ongoing translational analyses to identify predictive features.”
“Great presentation by Alice Boilève on pancreatic cancer and RAS mutations at ESMO GI 2026.”
“A refreshing and necessary perspective at ESMO GI 2026 from Dr. Rachel Riechelmann on measuring the true clinical benefit of cancer treatments against their cost and global availability.
Innovation is crucial, but rationality is just as important.”
“There is something special about seeing months of preparation come to life.
As Day 2 of the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress begins, the energy from the opening day is still going strong.
I am especially proud of the team, whose creativity and dedication have helped turn ideas into meaningful experiences—from months of behind-the-scenes planning to bringing everything to life on the congress floor.
Looking forward to another day of inspiring discussions, new connections, and discoveries that can make a real difference for the oncology community.”
Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD
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