ASCO GI 2026 Recap: Breakthroughs, Community at the Forefront of Gastrointestinal Cancer Research

The 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium showcased not only transformative discoveries in gastrointestinal cancer treatment but also the vital role of professional relationships in advancing patient care. From practice-changing clinical trial data to the joy of reuniting with peers, attendees shared their favorite parts of attending the conference.

Speakers include:

• Yuman Fong, MD, cancer surgeon, City of Hope
• Elena Elimova, MD, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and staff medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital
• Enrique Velazquez Villarreal, MD, PhD, MPH, MS, assistant professor in the department of integrative translational sciences at City of Hope
• Michael David Chuong, MD, radiation oncologist, Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida

This transcript was lightly edited for clarity; captions were auto-generated.

Transcript

Why should industry experts attend ASCO GI?

Fong: Obviously the most important [thing] is that [we] see all the progress. I mean, every time I come, I see a whole set of new trials that just ended, where the data just looks amazing, and we're about to change the natural history of cancer and help patients and their families get more good time together. The other half of it is to see all my friends that come every year and present their amazing data and to be able to just hang out for a few days and talk about the progress, but also talk about our lives and each other, because [it’s a] good group of people that come to ASCO GI.

Elimova: I love learning new data. I think that's always really fun. But I think it's also really nice to see all of the people that I have trained with or that I have trained and I never get to see because they live all over the world.

Villarreal: I think it's important because it sits at the intersection of cutting-edge science, clinical practice, and real-world impact in gastrointestinal cancers. For a scientific or clinical audience, I will say ASCO defines the state of science in GI oncology. ASCO GI is where the most practice-changing data in colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary cancers are first presented.

Chuong: Attending ASCO GI is always a great time to meet up with old friends and learn. It's also educational for me to learn what the upcoming new standards of care might be from new trials that are presented there.