Review for 10.1186/s12876-020-01372-2 (2020)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Hepatitis B virus -associated hepatocellular carcinoma in South Africa in the era of HIV  
 
Versi on: 2 Date: 23 Sep 2019  
 
Reviewer: Amit Goel  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
The submitted manuscript is an observation study from Ethiopia, an African country, which 
compared the natural history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with HIV/HBV 
coinfected versus HBV monoinfected participants.  
 
I have following major commen ts in the manuscript in present form.  
 
1. The evidence of past HBV infection, as evidenced by IgG anti -HBc positivity, was also 
taken as an evidence of HBV infection which is not appropriate because active HBV infection is 
associated with HCC but not the pr evious HBV infection.  
 
2. There are discrepancy in data such as total number participants were 107 but, at places,  
data are given for 100 only.  
 
3. Missing data are common such as in table 1: race is given for 96, place of birth for 93 
etc. 
 
4. No novelty in  data.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please speci fy which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
 
 
 
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 require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
Quality of written English  
Pleas e indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Not suitable for publication unless extensively edited  
 
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, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares  in an organisation t hat 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 recei ved 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 financial 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 details below.  
 
'I declare that I have no competing interests'  
 
I agree to the open peer  review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the author s' 
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 commen ts 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal