Reviewer's report
Title:Overall Survival in Response to Sorafenib Versus Radiotherapy in
Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Major Portal Vein Tumor
Thrombosis: Propensity Score Analysis
Version:1Date:20 March 2014
Reviewer: NORIO ISODA
Reviewer's report:
This is the paper reporting the survival benefits of sorafenib versus radiotherapy
(RT) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal
vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) in the main trunk or the first branch. It was
concluded that RT is a better first-line therapy than sorafenib in patients who
have advanced unresectable HCC with PVTT. Though there are only few studies
evaluating the factors during therapy for HCC with major portal vein tumor
thrombosis, the present study has limited number of patients with the findings of
novelty and has several concerns that need to be addressed as described
below.
Major comments:
I can not understand Figure 1.
I can not recognize a difference between (a) and (b).
Figure legends about Figure1 is vague. Does A mean a? Does B mean b?
More careful explanation is necessary.
Minor comments:
1) Page 10, line 13-15:
" the RT study population had a significant worsening hepatic function and tumor
progression in comparison with the sorafenib group".
I understand that the RT study population had a significant worsening hepatic
function, but I think tumor progression is more worsening in the sorafenib group
than the RT group, because the ratio of the main trunk to all PVTT is larger in the
sorafenib group than the RT group.
2) Page 11, line 1-2:
“We extracted 64 patients with hepatic function of C-P class A (sorafenib; n = 36,
RT; n =28), as shown in Table 2.”
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Needs some language corrections before being
published
Statistical review: Yes, but I do not feel adequately qualified to assess the
statistics.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
Reviewer's report
Title:Overall Survival in Response to Sorafenib Versus Radiotherapy in
Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Major Portal Vein Tumor
Thrombosis: Propensity Score Analysis
Version:1Date:20 March 2014
Reviewer: NORIO ISODA
Reviewer's report:
This is the paper reporting the survival benefits of sorafenib versus radiotherapy
(RT) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal
vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) in the main trunk or the first branch. It was
concluded that RT is a better first-line therapy than sorafenib in patients who
have advanced unresectable HCC with PVTT. Though there are only few studies
evaluating the factors during therapy for HCC with major portal vein tumor
thrombosis, the present study has limited number of patients with the findings of
novelty and has several concerns that need to be addressed as described
below.
Major comments:
I can not understand Figure 1.
I can not recognize a difference between (a) and (b).
Figure legends about Figure1 is vague. Does A mean a? Does B mean b?
More careful explanation is necessary.
Minor comments:
1) Page 10, line 13-15:
" the RT study population had a significant worsening hepatic function and tumor
progression in comparison with the sorafenib group".
I understand that the RT study population had a significant worsening hepatic
function, but I think tumor progression is more worsening in the sorafenib group
than the RT group, because the ratio of the main trunk to all PVTT is larger in the
sorafenib group than the RT group.
2) Page 11, line 1-2:
“We extracted 64 patients with hepatic function of C-P class A (sorafenib; n = 36,
RT; n =28), as shown in Table 2.”
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Needs some language corrections before being
published
Statistical review: Yes, but I do not feel adequately qualified to assess the
statistics.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report
Title:Overall Survival in Response to Sorafenib Versus Radiotherapy in
Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Major Portal Vein Tumor
Thrombosis: Propensity Score Analysis
Version:1Date:20 March 2014
Reviewer: NORIO ISODA
Reviewer's report:
This is the paper reporting the survival benefits of sorafenib versus radiotherapy
(RT) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal
vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) in the main trunk or the first branch. It was
concluded that RT is a better first-line therapy than sorafenib in patients who
have advanced unresectable HCC with PVTT. Though there are only few studies
evaluating the factors during therapy for HCC with major portal vein tumor
thrombosis, the present study has limited number of patients with the findings of
novelty and has several concerns that need to be addressed as described
below.
Major comments:
I can not understand Figure 1.
I can not recognize a difference between (a) and (b).
Figure legends about Figure1 is vague. Does A mean a? Does B mean b?
More careful explanation is necessary.
Minor comments:
1) Page 10, line 13-15:
" the RT study population had a significant worsening hepatic function and tumor
progression in comparison with the sorafenib group".
I understand that the RT study population had a significant worsening hepatic
function, but I think tumor progression is more worsening in the sorafenib group
than the RT group, because the ratio of the main trunk to all PVTT is larger in the
sorafenib group than the RT group.
2) Page 11, line 1-2:
“We extracted 64 patients with hepatic function of C-P class A (sorafenib; n = 36,
RT; n =28), as shown in Table 2.”
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Needs some language corrections before being
published
Statistical review: Yes, but I do not feel adequately qualified to assess the
statistics.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
assistant