S-1 is an effective drug in gastric cancer (GC) for palliative chemotherapy in Eastern and
Western patients. Recently, S-1 has been also reported to be an effective adjuvant therapy
for GC patients who received D2 surgery in Eastern Asian patients.
Recently, the development of lacrimal drainage obstruction (LDO) caused by S-1 has been
reported from some case and small-sized studies. The incidence of developing LDO has been
estimated to about 15~20% of patients receiving S-1 therapy in some retrospective studies.
However, there is no prospective report on the incidence of LDO in patients receiving S-1
chemotherapy. Moreover, the mechanism of developing S-1-induced LDO has not been systemically
studied until now. Suggested mechanism of LDO involves direct secretion of S-1 into the tear.
Therefore, this study was initiated to prospectively investigate the incidence of LDO in GC
patients receiving adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy. In addition, the correlation between the
development of LDO and the concentration of S-1 (or its metabolites) in tear and plasma will
be explored. These results will help clinicians identify patients who are at high risk of
developing S-1-associated LDO.