Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Not so FAST. Commentary on the article “Appraisal of  the faecal haemoglobin, age and 
sex test (FAST) score in assessment of patients with lower bowel symptoms: an observational 
study” 
 
Version: 0 Date: 10 Apr 2020  
 
Reviewer: Li-Chun Chang  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Cubiella et al. established the FHbC -based risk score, FAST score, to predict the risk of CRC in 
subjects with GI symptoms. Digby et al. conducted a study to validate the risk score in an 
independent cohort. Digby et al. concluded that the per formance of the FAST score did not seem 
to enhance the utility of FHbC alone (BMC Gastroenterology 2019(19):213). Cubiella et al. 
made a commentary on the validation study from the aspect of methodology and interpretation. 
The appraisal and discussion are positive and valuable. This work may help to promote the risk 
score and to understand its clinical application. I have only a minor comment on editing that the 
"sext" in the abstract should be "sex."  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary fro m an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this  
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose  
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds  or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
If you can answer no to al l of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare no competing interests.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be i ncluded  
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report  
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors'  
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons  
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments  
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments  
to the editors, which will not be publis hed. 
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Not so FAST. Commentary on the article “Appraisal of  the faecal haemoglobin, age and 
sex test (FAST) score in assessment of patients with lower bowel symptoms: an observational 
study” 
 
Version: 0 Date: 10 Apr 2020  
 
Reviewer: Li-Chun Chang  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Cubiella et al. established the FHbC -based risk score, FAST score, to predict the risk of CRC in 
subjects with GI symptoms. Digby et al. conducted a study to validate the risk score in an 
independent cohort. Digby et al. concluded that the per formance of the FAST score did not seem 
to enhance the utility of FHbC alone (BMC Gastroenterology 2019(19):213). Cubiella et al. 
made a commentary on the validation study from the aspect of methodology and interpretation. 
The appraisal and discussion are positive and valuable. This work may help to promote the risk 
score and to understand its clinical application. I have only a minor comment on editing that the 
"sext" in the abstract should be "sex."  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary fro m an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this  
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose  
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds  or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
If you can answer no to al l of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare no competing interests.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be i ncluded  
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report  
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors'  
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons  
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments  
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments  
to the editors, which will not be publis hed. 
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Not so FAST. Commentary on the article “Appraisal of  the faecal haemoglobin, age and 
sex test (FAST) score in assessment of patients with lower bowel symptoms: an observational 
study” 
 
Version: 0 Date: 10 Apr 2020  
 
Reviewer: Li-Chun Chang  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Cubiella et al. established the FHbC -based risk score, FAST score, to predict the risk of CRC in 
subjects with GI symptoms. Digby et al. conducted a study to validate the risk score in an 
independent cohort. Digby et al. concluded that the per formance of the FAST score did not seem 
to enhance the utility of FHbC alone (BMC Gastroenterology 2019(19):213). Cubiella et al. 
made a commentary on the validation study from the aspect of methodology and interpretation. 
The appraisal and discussion are positive and valuable. This work may help to promote the risk 
score and to understand its clinical application. I have only a minor comment on editing that the 
"sext" in the abstract should be "sex."  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary fro m an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this  
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose  
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds  or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
If you can answer no to al l of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare no competing interests.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be i ncluded  
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report  
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors'  
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons  
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments  
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential comments  
to the editors, which will not be publis hed. 
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant