COMMIT
About the COMMIT Trial
Table of Contents
Major Presentations and Milestones
COMMIT Trial design, results, and conclusions
COMMIT Sentiments and Criticisms
Professional Resources : Interactive Tweet History, Influence Diagram, Sentiment Table, AI Chatbot
COMMIT Trial: Major Presentations and Milestones
Primary speakers driving the story
At ASCO GI 2026 (#GI26), the phase III COMMIT trial (NRG-GI004/SWOG-S1610) became a focal point for discussion in first-line dMMR/MSI-H metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Jun Gong, MD summarized the presentation noting the study was closed after results from CheckMate-8HW (“right thing to do”) and emphasizing the striking PFS difference with immature OS.
Dr. Max rand PhIII COMMIT @NRGonc of #1L #atezo +/- FOLFOX in #MSI-H #mCRC ➡️ improved PFS median 24.5 vs 5.3 mos, immature OS, ORR 36.1 vs 18.9% FOLFOX-atezo vs atezo, respectively. Note, study closed after CM-8HW after 102 pts accrued (right thing to do) @OncoAlert #GI26 https://t.co/xn6SGBDSxf
— Jun Gong (@jgong15) January 10, 2026
Several KOLs also highlighted the “story behind the story”: the unexpectedly poor outcomes in the atezolizumab-alone control arm compared with prior PD-1–based datasets (e.g., KEYNOTE-177). Daisuke Kotani, MD, PhD explicitly framed COMMIT as “positive results, yet interpret with caution,” and asked why the PD-L1 inhibitor control arm appeared to underperform.
COMMIT: Positive results, yet interpret with caution #GI26 Why did Atezo (control arm) perform poorly compared to Pembro (KN177) or Nivo (CM8HW)? 1⃣Difference in PD-1 vs PD-L1 for MSI-H/dMMR mCRC? 2⃣Difference in patient characteristics? 3⃣Small sample size? 👉My opinion: Atezo https://t.co/k5OXoiyUPa https://t.co/9TdAZUxE5n
— Daisuke Kotani, MD, Ph.D 小谷 大輔 (@DaisukeKotani) January 11, 2026
In later discussion threads, clinicians extended the implications beyond metastatic disease—questioning whether atezolizumab underperformance should influence adjuvant MSI strategies and ongoing trial programs.
COMMIT Trial Design, Results, and Conclusions
Trial Design:
COMMIT (NRG-GI004/SWOG-S1610) is a randomized phase III trial in first-line dMMR/MSI-H mCRC comparing:
Arm A: atezolizumab (PD-L1 inhibitor) monotherapy
Arm B: mFOLFOX6 + bevacizumab + atezolizumab
KOLs noted the trial’s accrual was suspended/closed as standards evolved (e.g., CheckMate-8HW), leaving relatively small numbers per arm at the time of analysis.
Primary Results (as reported in tweets):
Across multiple on-site summaries, the chemo/VEGF/PD-L1 combination improved tumor control and PFS versus atezolizumab alone:
- Median PFS: 30.0 vs 4.3 months; HR 0.439; p=0.0103 (Kotani) https://x.com/DaisukeKotani/status/2008311364486656414
- Median PFS: 24.5 vs 5.3 months (multiple KOL summaries) https://x.com/jgong15/status/2010107609316241861
- ORR: 80.6% vs 46% (Martinez Lago; Kotani) https://x.com/DraMartinezLago/status/2010107137574482272
- CR: 36% vs 18% (Vogel) https://x.com/ArndtVogel/status/2010300044126347308
- DCR at 12 months: 62.9% vs 32.4% (Kotani) https://x.com/DaisukeKotani/status/2008311364486656414
- Progressive disease rate: 32% vs 2% (Gill) https://x.com/GillSharlene/status/2010108262444872161
#GI26 🧬 COMMIT trial | 1L dMMR/MSI-H mCRC Atezolizumab + mFOLFOX6/bev vs atezo alone 📉 mPFS 30.0 vs 4.3 mo (HR 0.44) 📈 ORR 80.6% vs 46% 📊 DCR 12 mo 63% vs 32% ⚠️ ↑ G≥3 AEs with chemo backbone ➡️ VEGF + PD-L1 blockade clearly outperforms IO monotherapy @OncoAlert @Larvol https://t.co/StGW99tCgt
— Nieves Martinez Lago MD PhD (@DraMartinezLago) January 10, 2026
Overall Survival (OS):
Multiple KOLs explicitly stated no OS benefit was observed at the time of reporting (immature OS), despite the PFS separation (e.g., Vogel: “no OS benefit”; Gill: “No diff in OS observed”).
Safety:
Tweet summaries emphasized increased toxicity with the chemotherapy/VEGF backbone:
- Martinez Lago: “↑ G≥3 AEs with chemo backbone” https://x.com/DraMartinezLago/status/2010107137574482272
- Özdoğan: “Grade 3–5 toxicity: 83% vs 44%” https://x.com/ozdogan_md/status/2010611040610832543
- Pashtoon Kasi, MD, MS raised a specific caution: “I also worry about the GRADE 5 ⬛⚠️ events reported here… 6️⃣ total and 2 sudden deaths.” https://x.com/pashtoonkasi/status/2010120326206894199
Key Conclusions:
Based on KOL commentary captured here, COMMIT demonstrates that adding chemotherapy + bevacizumab to atezolizumab can markedly improve PFS and response metrics versus atezolizumab alone in first-line MSI-H/dMMR mCRC. However, the community response was tempered by (1) lack of OS signal to date, (2) substantial toxicity, and (3) persistent concern that the atezolizumab monotherapy arm performed unusually poorly relative to historical PD-1 inhibitor data—raising questions about cross-trial comparability and the role of PD-L1 blockade in this biomarker-defined population.
COMMIT Sentiments and Criticisms
Positive Reception (signal strength in PFS/response):
Nicholas Hornstein, MD (context: full presentation data): “COMMIT, now with the full presentation data, deserves a serious re-examination. … “PFS separation is striking mPFS 24.5 vs 5.3 months” https://x.com/GIMedOnc/status/2010111877788119089
Central controversy: underperformance of atezolizumab monotherapy
Pashtoon Kasi, MD, MS: “monotherapy with Atezo is way underperforming compared to prior IO data.” https://x.com/pashtoonkasi/status/2010106875379892472
Daisuke Kotani, MD, PhD: “Why did Atezo (control arm) perform poorly compared to Pembro (KN177) or Nivo (CM8HW)?” https://x.com/DaisukeKotani/status/2010190726743896206
Aparna Parikh, MD: “one other lingering question re COMMIT, why did atezo perform so poorly? K177 didn’t have central testing either. ATOMIC implications? PDL1 effect?” https://x.com/aparna1024/status/2010192484266324179
Practice-facing skepticism: do we need chemo in 2026 for MSI-H?
Manju George, PhD: “The COMMIT results have made the field unnecessarily complicated … “Why use chemo in 2026, in a subset which has great results with proven immunotherapy in trials like 8HW and KN 177?” https://x.com/manjuggm/status/2010750734237630601
Interpretability concerns / limitations:
Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD: “This one I find challenging to understand fully — many limitations of course” https://x.com/GIcancerDoc/status/2010441756421333159
Ethics and trial conduct (standards changing mid-study):
Daneng Li, MD: “Good to see studies and investigators doing the right thing and reevaluating continuation of studies when new data becomes available and standards of care changes. Putting patients first is key.” https://x.com/DanengLi/status/2010113247115116554
COMMIT Temporal Sentiment Arc
2024–2025 (Unrelated “COMMIT” usage in myeloma community)
Primary/KOL tweets:
- https://x.com/End_myeloma/status/1863010247490633779
- https://x.com/End_myeloma/status/1898439588848480535
- Tone: “COMMIT” appears as a separate myeloma initiative/group context, not the GI COMMIT trial.
- Shift: Not applicable to the MSI-H mCRC dataset; included here only because the tag captures multiple “COMMIT” contexts.
January 2026 (ASCO GI 2026: COMMIT in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC)
Primary/KOL tweets:
- https://x.com/jgong15/status/2010107609316241861
- https://x.com/DraMartinezLago/status/2010107137574482272
- https://x.com/DaisukeKotani/status/2010190726743896206
- https://x.com/aparna1024/status/2010192484266324179
- Tone: High interest due to dramatic PFS/ORR differences, quickly followed by skepticism and mechanistic debate (PD-1 vs PD-L1, patient selection, small sample size, and “why is atezo so weak here?”).
- Shift: The conversation moved from headline efficacy (“PFS separation is striking”) toward interpretability, external validity, and downstream implications for adjuvant MSI strategies (e.g., ATOMIC), plus renewed emphasis on established PD-1/CTLA-4 options (pembrolizumab; nivolumab/ipilimumab).
Overall, the COMMIT discussion at #GI26 was characterized by a dual narrative: (1) a strong efficacy signal for adding chemo/VEGF blockade to PD-L1 inhibition in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC, and (2) persistent concern that the control arm’s unexpectedly poor performance complicates clinical interpretation and guideline translation.
COMMIT Professional Resources
