Title: Clinical characteristics, prognosis, and surgical outcomes of patients with non-HBV and
non-HCV related hepatocellular carcinoma: three-decade observational study
Version: 2 Date: 28 Mar 2023
Reviewer:  Aleksandar Bogdanovic
Reviewer's report:
I was delighted to read the manuscript „Clinical characteristics, prognosis, and surgical outcomes
of patients with NBNC hepatocellular carcinoma: three-decade observational study” by Koya
Yasukawa et all. Authors have evaluated clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of non-
HBV and non-HCV HCC patients. They conducted a comprehensive analysis of the clinical
characteristics of a large cohort of patients surgically treated for HCC. The present study showed
historical perspectives of NBNC-HCC and differences in surgical outcomes through the long
study time divided into three periods.
This study has shown an increasing prevalence of NBNC-HCC and favors the long-term
prognosis of NBNC-HCC patients after hepatectomy compared to HBV or HCV HCC patients.
Prognostic factors were analyzed using multivariate analysis.
This manuscript is well written. The methodology is appropriate for this kind of research.
Statistical analysis is comprehensive and accurate. Conclusions are fully sustained by the study
results.
I hope that the article would be of interest to journal readers.
Before final acceptance, I would like to clarify a few minor issues:
1. Abbreviation in the Manuscript title NBNC-HCC can confuse the readers and should be
reconsidered
2. Data about HCC incidence at the beginning of the introduction section is from 2012 and
should be updated
3. I guess patients were seronegative immediately before surgery. Were there any patients with
a history of seropositivity to HBV or HCV with seroconversion to the negative status before
HCC was diagnosed? If yes, how did you classify this group of patients
4. Do you perform any alternative method for anatomical area demarcation if dye injection
failed?
Title: Clinical characteristics, prognosis, and surgical outcomes of patients with non-HBV and
non-HCV related hepatocellular carcinoma: three-decade observational study
Version: 2 Date: 28 Mar 2023
Reviewer:  Aleksandar Bogdanovic
Reviewer's report:
I was delighted to read the manuscript „Clinical characteristics, prognosis, and surgical outcomes
of patients with NBNC hepatocellular carcinoma: three-decade observational study” by Koya
Yasukawa et all. Authors have evaluated clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of non-
HBV and non-HCV HCC patients. They conducted a comprehensive analysis of the clinical
characteristics of a large cohort of patients surgically treated for HCC. The present study showed
historical perspectives of NBNC-HCC and differences in surgical outcomes through the long
study time divided into three periods.
This study has shown an increasing prevalence of NBNC-HCC and favors the long-term
prognosis of NBNC-HCC patients after hepatectomy compared to HBV or HCV HCC patients.
Prognostic factors were analyzed using multivariate analysis.
This manuscript is well written. The methodology is appropriate for this kind of research.
Statistical analysis is comprehensive and accurate. Conclusions are fully sustained by the study
results.
I hope that the article would be of interest to journal readers.
Before final acceptance, I would like to clarify a few minor issues:
1. Abbreviation in the Manuscript title NBNC-HCC can confuse the readers and should be
reconsidered
2. Data about HCC incidence at the beginning of the introduction section is from 2012 and
should be updated
3. I guess patients were seronegative immediately before surgery. Were there any patients with
a history of seropositivity to HBV or HCV with seroconversion to the negative status before
HCC was diagnosed? If yes, how did you classify this group of patients
4. Do you perform any alternative method for anatomical area demarcation if dye injection
failed?
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Clinical characteristics, prognosis, and surgical outcomes of patients with non-HBV and
non-HCV related hepatocellular carcinoma: three-decade observational study
Version: 2 Date: 28 Mar 2023
Reviewer:  Aleksandar Bogdanovic
Reviewer's report:
I was delighted to read the manuscript „Clinical characteristics, prognosis, and surgical outcomes
of patients with NBNC hepatocellular carcinoma: three-decade observational study” by Koya
Yasukawa et all. Authors have evaluated clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of non-
HBV and non-HCV HCC patients. They conducted a comprehensive analysis of the clinical
characteristics of a large cohort of patients surgically treated for HCC. The present study showed
historical perspectives of NBNC-HCC and differences in surgical outcomes through the long
study time divided into three periods.
This study has shown an increasing prevalence of NBNC-HCC and favors the long-term
prognosis of NBNC-HCC patients after hepatectomy compared to HBV or HCV HCC patients.
Prognostic factors were analyzed using multivariate analysis.
This manuscript is well written. The methodology is appropriate for this kind of research.
Statistical analysis is comprehensive and accurate. Conclusions are fully sustained by the study
results.
I hope that the article would be of interest to journal readers.
Before final acceptance, I would like to clarify a few minor issues:
1. Abbreviation in the Manuscript title NBNC-HCC can confuse the readers and should be
reconsidered
2. Data about HCC incidence at the beginning of the introduction section is from 2012 and
should be updated
3. I guess patients were seronegative immediately before surgery. Were there any patients with
a history of seropositivity to HBV or HCV with seroconversion to the negative status before
HCC was diagnosed? If yes, how did you classify this group of patients
4. Do you perform any alternative method for anatomical area demarcation if dye injection
failed?
assistant