Reviewer’s report
Title: VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio as a potential biomarker for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma
Version: 0 Date: 12 Dec 2018
Reviewer: Theodoros Androutsakos
Reviewer's report:
Overall a good effort. I was wondering if you could follow up the patients and see if any of the patients
receiving RF treatment had PV thombosis in the next 4 months after diagnosis and correlate that with
VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio ,as well as if tumour progression was correlated with that ratio. Of course
having more patients would be a plus, as well as making your study retrospective, see if a higher ratio
at baseline can reveal which patients are going to have HCC in the future. However since this is not the
aim of this study I feel your study is worthy of publication.
Are the methods appropriate and well described?
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Does the work include the necessary controls?
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an
additional statistical review?
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further
assessment in your comments to the editors.
I am able to assess the statistics
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 from 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 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 to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 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 published.
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal
Reviewer’s report
Title: VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio as a potential biomarker for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma
Version: 0 Date: 12 Dec 2018
Reviewer: Theodoros Androutsakos
Reviewer's report:
Overall a good effort. I was wondering if you could follow up the patients and see if any of the patients
receiving RF treatment had PV thombosis in the next 4 months after diagnosis and correlate that with
VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio ,as well as if tumour progression was correlated with that ratio. Of course
having more patients would be a plus, as well as making your study retrospective, see if a higher ratio
at baseline can reveal which patients are going to have HCC in the future. However since this is not the
aim of this study I feel your study is worthy of publication.
Are the methods appropriate and well described?
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Does the work include the necessary controls?
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an
additional statistical review?
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further
assessment in your comments to the editors.
I am able to assess the statistics
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 from 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 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 to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 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 published.
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer’s report
Title: VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio as a potential biomarker for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma
Version: 0 Date: 12 Dec 2018
Reviewer: Theodoros Androutsakos
Reviewer's report:
Overall a good effort. I was wondering if you could follow up the patients and see if any of the patients
receiving RF treatment had PV thombosis in the next 4 months after diagnosis and correlate that with
VWF/ADAMTS13 ratio ,as well as if tumour progression was correlated with that ratio. Of course
having more patients would be a plus, as well as making your study retrospective, see if a higher ratio
at baseline can reveal which patients are going to have HCC in the future. However since this is not the
aim of this study I feel your study is worthy of publication.
Are the methods appropriate and well described?
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Does the work include the necessary controls?
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.
Yes
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an
additional statistical review?
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further
assessment in your comments to the editors.
I am able to assess the statistics
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 from 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 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 to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 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 published.
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal
assistant