Review for 10.1186/s12876-021-01816-3 (2021)

Reviewer’s report
Title: 
Clinical outcomes of doxorubicin-eluting CalliSpheres® beads-
transarterial chemoembolization for unresectable or recurrent esophageal
carcinoma
Version: 
0 
Date: 
16 Mar 2021
Reviewer's report:
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS: 
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses a
testable research question(s) (brief or other article types: is there a clear
objective)?
Yes - there is a clear objective
DESIGN - Is the current approach (including controls and analysis protocols)
appropriate for the objective?
No - there are minor issues
EXECUTION - Are the experiments and analyses performed with technical rigor
to allow confidence in the results?
Yes - experiments and analyses were performed appropriately
STATISTICS - Is the use of statistics in the manuscript appropriate?
Yes - appropriate statistical analyses have been used in the study
INTERPRETATION - Is the current interpretation/discussion of the results
reasonable and not overstated?
No - there are minor issues
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Is the current version of this work
technically sound? If not, can revisions be made to make the work technically
sound?
Probably - with minor revisions
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS: 
GENERAL COMMENTS: 
Overall, this study has merit. 
It is reporting a good number of patients who
received a novel treatment. They report the morbidity and also short-term
oncologic outcomes. 
What is missing is (1) a little more detail about these patients before treatment.
Why were they not resectable? What treatments were provided before? and 
(2) Information about how the results of this treatment compare with
chemotherapy, TACE or radiotherapy. 
The authors give their numbers, but how
do they compare with other treatment options? They need to show this
comparison before concluding that this is an efficient treatment for these
patients.
REQUESTED REVISIONS: 
My other comments include:
1. Abstract: please correct spelling errors (i.e., severe)
2. Methods, the sentence "Endoscopy examination was performed for diagnosis
before procedure if necessary" could be better stated. 
3. In inclusion criteria, please summarize what constituted unresectability .
4. In Inclusion and exclusion criteria, Indications for DEB-TACE: "age is more
than 18 years" should be "age older than 18 years". 
5. Did these patients also receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy? Please clarify.
6. Results, "choking cough once drinking" should be revised to "choking cough
upon drinking" 
7. In Discussion, some of the sentences do not read well, such as, "Thus,
comparative studies are wanted to confirm whether survival benefit exists." 
8. Overall, Discussion could be improved. 
Are there studies that have used DEB-
TACE to treat patients with esophageal cancer? If not, please emphasize. If yes,
please summarize those studies and mention how this study compares with the
other studies.
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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?
No
Are the methods sufficiently described to allow the study to be repeated?
No
Is the use of statistics and treatment of uncertainties appropriate?
Yes
Is the presentation of the work clear?
No
Are the images in this manuscript (including electrophoretic gels and blots) free
from apparent manipulation?
Yes