Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Prognostic value of peripheral blood natural killer cells in colorectal cancer  
 
Version: 0 Date: 19 Nov 2019  
 
Reviewer: Piyush Sharma  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
The study is neither designed to properly ascertain independent a ssociation nor is powered  to do 
so, given the large number of various confounding parameters. My  greatest concern is with their 
gating strategy which incidentally they do not provide any flo w data for and furthermore, the 
article they quote as reference doesnt do so either. I say so becaus e by only including CD16+ 
cells they completely leave out CD3 -CD56brightCD16dim  NK cell population. No information 
regarding time since surgery and/or adjuvant chemoth erapy or any tumor histological 
characteristics is provided either. Even despite all these concerns, while they do show an 
association with survival, it contradicts rep orts from other groups such as Krigjsman et al 
(Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy (2019) 68:1011 -1024)  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the nece ssary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any s tatistics in the manus cript or would you  recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statist ics 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Not suitable for publication unless extensively edited  
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the follow ing questions:  
 
1.  Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the 
publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2.  Do you hold any s tocks or shares in an organisation t hat 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 com peting interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all 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 that I have no competing interests  
 
I agree t o the open peer review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or 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 in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Prognostic value of peripheral blood natural killer cells in colorectal cancer  
 
Version: 0 Date: 19 Nov 2019  
 
Reviewer: Piyush Sharma  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
The study is neither designed to properly ascertain independent a ssociation nor is powered  to do 
so, given the large number of various confounding parameters. My  greatest concern is with their 
gating strategy which incidentally they do not provide any flo w data for and furthermore, the 
article they quote as reference doesnt do so either. I say so becaus e by only including CD16+ 
cells they completely leave out CD3 -CD56brightCD16dim  NK cell population. No information 
regarding time since surgery and/or adjuvant chemoth erapy or any tumor histological 
characteristics is provided either. Even despite all these concerns, while they do show an 
association with survival, it contradicts rep orts from other groups such as Krigjsman et al 
(Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy (2019) 68:1011 -1024)  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the nece ssary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any s tatistics in the manus cript or would you  recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statist ics 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Not suitable for publication unless extensively edited  
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the follow ing questions:  
 
1.  Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the 
publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2.  Do you hold any s tocks or shares in an organisation t hat 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 com peting interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all 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 that I have no competing interests  
 
I agree t o the open peer review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or 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 in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Prognostic value of peripheral blood natural killer cells in colorectal cancer  
 
Version: 0 Date: 19 Nov 2019  
 
Reviewer: Piyush Sharma  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
The study is neither designed to properly ascertain independent a ssociation nor is powered  to do 
so, given the large number of various confounding parameters. My  greatest concern is with their 
gating strategy which incidentally they do not provide any flo w data for and furthermore, the 
article they quote as reference doesnt do so either. I say so becaus e by only including CD16+ 
cells they completely leave out CD3 -CD56brightCD16dim  NK cell population. No information 
regarding time since surgery and/or adjuvant chemoth erapy or any tumor histological 
characteristics is provided either. Even despite all these concerns, while they do show an 
association with survival, it contradicts rep orts from other groups such as Krigjsman et al 
(Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy (2019) 68:1011 -1024)  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the nece ssary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any s tatistics in the manus cript or would you  recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statist ics 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Not suitable for publication unless extensively edited  
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the follow ing questions:  
 
1.  Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the 
publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2.  Do you hold any s tocks or shares in an organisation t hat 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 com peting interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all 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 that I have no competing interests  
 
I agree t o the open peer review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or 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 in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant