Review for 10.1186/s12876-021-01964-6 (2021)

Reviewer’s report
Title: 
GIST of the Stomach Masquerading as Recurrent Falls in An Older Adult:
A Case Report and Review
Version: 
1 
Date: 
14 May 2021
Reviewer's report:
This manuscript reported a diagnostically challenging case with recurrent falls
due to intermittent vertigo. The patient had hypertension, dyslipidemia, poorly
controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus, and mild cognitive impairment. The gastric
stromal tumor was not detected until the fourth time of admission due to
recurrent fall and vertigo. These symptoms disappeared after resection of this
gastric stromal tumor. This was an interesting case. But some expressions in this
manuscript were inaccurate, and the discussion was too long and unfocused. I
have the following suggestions:
Firstly, gastric cancer was commonly recognized as tumors originated from the
gastric mucosal epithelial cells, but gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) was a
mesenchymal tumor. In the whole article, you elaborated gastric cancer but the
gastric tumor was a GIST in your case.
Secondly, this patient had multiple comorbidities such as hypertension, poorly
controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus, renal dysfunction, orthostatic hypotension,
infection, etc. After surgery, this patient had repeatedly severe infections and
finally died. Why do you think the gastric stromal tumor was the cause for her
fall and vertigo? The gastric stromal tumor was 3cm in diameter. But the results
of mitoses and gene mutation were not presented. No tumor rupture or bleeding
was reported in this case. And how did it result in recurrent falls and intermittent
vertigo?
Thirdly, the discussion was too long and the focal point was not prominent.
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