Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: BMC Gastroenterology A randomised double -blind placebo -controlled trial of probiotics 
in post -surgical colorectal cancer  
 
Version: 1 Date: 05 Jun 2019  
 
Reviewer: Shahram Agah  
Reviewer's report:  
Please include all co mments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other aspects of your report which cannot be included in a text form at. 
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
 
Dear colleagues:  
I appreciate your endeavor regarding this paper.  
Please consider my suggestions.  
1. About half of your cases are smoker and It could have effect on inflammatory 
cytokines.Please explain in your result about its possible effect as a confounder factor  
 
2. Why the rate of chemotherapy and other adjuvant therapies are  low in your patients? Any 
way I think it is better to explain more about possible effect of probiotics in  Chemo positive 
and Chemo negative participants separately regarding their effects on cytokines  
 
3. Please recheck the numbers in the tables, needs some edit.  
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 requ ire further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
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 fin ancial 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 detail s below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests' below.  
 
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 
includ ing 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 t he journal  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: BMC Gastroenterology A randomised double -blind placebo -controlled trial of probiotics 
in post -surgical colorectal cancer  
 
Version: 1 Date: 05 Jun 2019  
 
Reviewer: Shahram Agah  
Reviewer's report:  
Please include all co mments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other aspects of your report which cannot be included in a text form at. 
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
 
Dear colleagues:  
I appreciate your endeavor regarding this paper.  
Please consider my suggestions.  
1. About half of your cases are smoker and It could have effect on inflammatory 
cytokines.Please explain in your result about its possible effect as a confounder factor  
 
2. Why the rate of chemotherapy and other adjuvant therapies are  low in your patients? Any 
way I think it is better to explain more about possible effect of probiotics in  Chemo positive 
and Chemo negative participants separately regarding their effects on cytokines  
 
3. Please recheck the numbers in the tables, needs some edit.  
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 requ ire further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
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 fin ancial 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 detail s below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests' below.  
 
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 
includ ing 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 t he journal  
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: BMC Gastroenterology A randomised double -blind placebo -controlled trial of probiotics 
in post -surgical colorectal cancer  
 
Version: 1 Date: 05 Jun 2019  
 
Reviewer: Shahram Agah  
Reviewer's report:  
Please include all co mments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other aspects of your report which cannot be included in a text form at. 
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
 
Dear colleagues:  
I appreciate your endeavor regarding this paper.  
Please consider my suggestions.  
1. About half of your cases are smoker and It could have effect on inflammatory 
cytokines.Please explain in your result about its possible effect as a confounder factor  
 
2. Why the rate of chemotherapy and other adjuvant therapies are  low in your patients? Any 
way I think it is better to explain more about possible effect of probiotics in  Chemo positive 
and Chemo negative participants separately regarding their effects on cytokines  
 
3. Please recheck the numbers in the tables, needs some edit.  
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 requ ire further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
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 fin ancial 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 detail s below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests' below.  
 
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 
includ ing 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 t he journal  
assistant