Review for 10.1186/s12876-020-01393-x (2020)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Comparison of End -to-Side Hand -Sewn an d Side -to-Side Stapled Cervical Esophagogastric 
Anastomosis in Patients with Lower Thoracic Esophagea l Cancer Undergoing Transhiatal 
Esophagectomy: An Iranian Retrospective Cohort Study  
 
Version: 1 Date: 03 Apr 2020  
 
Reviewer: Tatsuo Kanda  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
This is a retrospective study on cervical anastomosis in esophageal cancer surgery. The authors 
compared the anastomosis associated  complications between hand -sewn and mechanical 
anastomoses in their institution. The present study analyzed as many as 409 patients, of which 
surgical background were relatively homogenous. Thus, despite the retrospective nature, the 
results were reliable  and would be clinically valuable in the community of esophageal surgery. 
This reviewer thinks that the present manuscript worth publishing in BMC Gastroenterology.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not , please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statisti cs in the manus cript or would you recommend an additional 
statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical rev iew 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
 
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'  
 
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on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
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I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons CC-BY 
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not wish to be included in my named report can be included  as confidential comments to the 
editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal