Title: A comparison of clinical pathologic characteristics between alpha-fetoprotein negative
and positive hepatocellular carcinoma patients from Eastern and Southern China
Version: 2 Date: 02 Jan 2022
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors;
Your study carries a lot of queries
why did you include patients with HCC together with patients with cholangiocarcinoma and
hepato-cholangiocarcinoma?
did you perform CEA, CA-125, and CA-199 for patients with HCC? what is your rationale in
figure 1?
you mentioned in the introduction "Liver cancer screening in high-risk populations relies on
serum tumor markers and ultrasonography. " and all your references from 7 to 9 are about HCC
the Chinese classification that you used is for HCC or cholangiocarcinoma or hepato-
cholangiocarcinoma?
you mentioned that:  serum AFP levels in HCC and CCA patients are significantly higher than
in AsC patients (p< 0.0001 for both),  AFP levels in HCC patients are significantly higher than
in CCA, CHB, and DHC patients (p< 0.0001 for all) (Figure S2 A).
what else did you expect to find?
please remove from your study analysis ALL patients with cholangiocarcinoma and hepato-
cholangiocarcinoma and make the study ONLY on patients with HCC to be realistic and
clinically applicable. make the title and all your introduction and discussion about HCC only
as your references
what is the underlying etiology of patients with liver cancer? you have to mention in the
methodology that you intended to collect patients with HBV-related HCC. or did you collect
patients with HCC with different underlying etiologies?
patients with cholangiocarcinoma could be due to underlying parasitic infection e.g.clonorchis
sinensis....how to combine such patients with primary liver cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) with
patients HCC
please include only patients with HCC in the study
you included in the control group patients with decompensated cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis
B and asymptomatic carriers...you have to mention the stage of underlying liver fibrosis or
cirrhosis of your patients with HCC. mention if patients with HCC have liver cirrhosis or chronic
hepatitis B
Title: A comparison of clinical pathologic characteristics between alpha-fetoprotein negative
and positive hepatocellular carcinoma patients from Eastern and Southern China
Version: 2 Date: 02 Jan 2022
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors;
Your study carries a lot of queries
why did you include patients with HCC together with patients with cholangiocarcinoma and
hepato-cholangiocarcinoma?
did you perform CEA, CA-125, and CA-199 for patients with HCC? what is your rationale in
figure 1?
you mentioned in the introduction "Liver cancer screening in high-risk populations relies on
serum tumor markers and ultrasonography. " and all your references from 7 to 9 are about HCC
the Chinese classification that you used is for HCC or cholangiocarcinoma or hepato-
cholangiocarcinoma?
you mentioned that:  serum AFP levels in HCC and CCA patients are significantly higher than
in AsC patients (p< 0.0001 for both),  AFP levels in HCC patients are significantly higher than
in CCA, CHB, and DHC patients (p< 0.0001 for all) (Figure S2 A).
what else did you expect to find?
please remove from your study analysis ALL patients with cholangiocarcinoma and hepato-
cholangiocarcinoma and make the study ONLY on patients with HCC to be realistic and
clinically applicable. make the title and all your introduction and discussion about HCC only
as your references
what is the underlying etiology of patients with liver cancer? you have to mention in the
methodology that you intended to collect patients with HBV-related HCC. or did you collect
patients with HCC with different underlying etiologies?
patients with cholangiocarcinoma could be due to underlying parasitic infection e.g.clonorchis
sinensis....how to combine such patients with primary liver cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) with
patients HCC
please include only patients with HCC in the study
you included in the control group patients with decompensated cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis
B and asymptomatic carriers...you have to mention the stage of underlying liver fibrosis or
cirrhosis of your patients with HCC. mention if patients with HCC have liver cirrhosis or chronic
hepatitis B
Please review this paper.
user
Title: A comparison of clinical pathologic characteristics between alpha-fetoprotein negative
and positive hepatocellular carcinoma patients from Eastern and Southern China
Version: 2 Date: 02 Jan 2022
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors;
Your study carries a lot of queries
why did you include patients with HCC together with patients with cholangiocarcinoma and
hepato-cholangiocarcinoma?
did you perform CEA, CA-125, and CA-199 for patients with HCC? what is your rationale in
figure 1?
you mentioned in the introduction "Liver cancer screening in high-risk populations relies on
serum tumor markers and ultrasonography. " and all your references from 7 to 9 are about HCC
the Chinese classification that you used is for HCC or cholangiocarcinoma or hepato-
cholangiocarcinoma?
you mentioned that:  serum AFP levels in HCC and CCA patients are significantly higher than
in AsC patients (p< 0.0001 for both),  AFP levels in HCC patients are significantly higher than
in CCA, CHB, and DHC patients (p< 0.0001 for all) (Figure S2 A).
what else did you expect to find?
please remove from your study analysis ALL patients with cholangiocarcinoma and hepato-
cholangiocarcinoma and make the study ONLY on patients with HCC to be realistic and
clinically applicable. make the title and all your introduction and discussion about HCC only
as your references
what is the underlying etiology of patients with liver cancer? you have to mention in the
methodology that you intended to collect patients with HBV-related HCC. or did you collect
patients with HCC with different underlying etiologies?
patients with cholangiocarcinoma could be due to underlying parasitic infection e.g.clonorchis
sinensis....how to combine such patients with primary liver cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) with
patients HCC
please include only patients with HCC in the study
you included in the control group patients with decompensated cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis
B and asymptomatic carriers...you have to mention the stage of underlying liver fibrosis or
cirrhosis of your patients with HCC. mention if patients with HCC have liver cirrhosis or chronic
hepatitis B
assistant