Review for 10.1186/s12876-022-02596-0 (2022)

Reviewer’s report
Title: 
Prognostic value of a nomogram based on peripheral blood immune
parameters in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma after intensity-modulated
radiotherapy
Version: 
0 
Date: 
14 Sep 2022
Reviewer: 
Khaled Farid
Reviewer's report:
The authors in this manuscript aimed to determine whether peripheral immune
parameters can predict survival in patients with uHCC undergoing IMRT and
established a clinically useful prognostic nomogram for survival prediction.
The idea is good, the work achieved the aim of the study, and the manuscript is
well written.
Only two comments are raised:
Page 4; line 45-48: you should add the relation of immune markers to recurrence
of HCC after TACE citing ELALFY ET AL. 2018: "Monocyte/granulocyte to
lymphocyte ratio and the MELD score as predictors for early recurrence of
hepatocellular carcinoma after trans-arterial chemoembolization"
https://doi.org/10.1080/09674845.2018.1494769
Add to limitations that you did not study the effect of different treatment
modalities before intensity-modulated radiotherapy on immune parameters in
your cohort.
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Is the study design appropriate to answer the research question (including the use
of appropriate controls), and are the conclusions supported by the evidence
presented?
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