BPG is committed to discovery and dissemination of knowledge
Manuscript Reader Comments
Chen Z, Gong TJ, Zhao L. Bidirectional relationship between depression and the risk and prognosis of gastric cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(12): 113272 [PMID: 41480211 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i12.113272]
Reader's ID:
07768353
Submitted on:
December 12, 2025, 02:14
Reader Expertise:
Reader’s expertise on the topic of the manuscript
Conflicts-of-Interest Statement:
Does the reader have a conflict of interest?
Reader Comment Standards for Published Articles:
1 Title
Does the title reflect the main subject/hypothesis of the manuscript?
2 Abstract
Does the abstract summarize and reflect the work described in the manuscript?
3 Key Words
Do the key words reflect the focus of the manuscript?
4 Background
Does the manuscript adequately describe the background, present status and significance of the study?
5 Methods
Does the manuscript describe methods (e.g., experiments, data analysis, surveys, and clinical trials, etc.) in adequate detail?
6 Results
Are the research objectives achieved by the experiments used in this study?
Has the study made meaningful contributions towards research progress in this field?
7 Discussion
Does the manuscript interpret the findings adequately and appropriately, highlighting the key points concisely, clearly and logically?
Are the findings and their applicability/relevance to the literature stated in a clear and definite manner?
Is the Discussion accurate and does it discuss the paper’s scientific significance and/or relevance to clinical practice sufficiently?
8 Illustrations and Tables
Are the figures, diagrams and tables sufficient, good quality and appropriately illustrative of the paper contents?
Do figures require labeling with arrows, asterisks, etc., or better legends?
9 Biostatistics
Does the manuscript meet the requirements of biostatistics?
10 Units
Does the manuscript meet the requirements of use of SI units?
11 References
Does the manuscript appropriately cite the latest, important and authoritative references in the Introduction and Discussion sections?
Does the author self-cite, omit, incorrectly cite and/or over-cite references?
12 Quality of manuscript organization and presentation
Is the manuscript concisely and coherently organized and presented?
Are the style, language and grammar accurate and appropriate?
13 Ethics statements
For all manuscripts involving human studies and/or animal experiments, author(s) must submit the related formal ethics documents that were reviewed and approved by their local ethical review committee. Did the manuscript meet the requirements of ethics?
Scientific Quality:
The overall quality of the manuscript, based on the above-listed criteria, should be evaluated and classified according to the following five categories
Language Quality:
Language quality (style, grammar, and spelling) should be evaluated and classified according to the following five categories.
Reader Comments:
This minireview systematically synthesizes the intricate interplay between depression and gastric cancer (GC), incorporating neuroendocrine, immunological, and psychosocial mechanisms. The authors effectively underscore the bidirectional causality supported by 52 referenced studies, in alignment with the biopsychosocial model. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to enhance methodological rigor and visual communication. Although Figure 1 delineates key components of the bidirectional relationship, its informational density is suboptimal. The figure lacks a hierarchical structuring of pathways (e.g., neuroendocrine versus immune mechanisms) and does not quantify effect sizes (e.g., hazard ratios from cited meta-analyses). It is recommended to incorporate a summary table for comparison.