title: Sample size requirements in case-only designs to detect gene-environment interaction.
abstract: With advances in molecular genetic technology, more studies will examine gene-environment interaction in disease etiology. If the primary purpose of the study is to estimate the effect of gene-environment interaction in disease etiology, one can do so without employing controls. The case-only design has been promoted as an efficient and valid method for screening for gene-environment interaction. The authors derive a method for estimating sample size requirements, present sample size estimates, and compare minimum sample size requirements to detect gene-environment interaction in case-only studies with case-control studies. Assuming independence between exposure and genotype in the population, the authors believe that the case-only design is more efficient than a case-control design in detecting gene-environment interaction. They also illustrate a method to estimate sample size when information on marginal effects (relative risk) of exposure and genotype is available from previous studies.
authors.affiliation: Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Khoury
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Flanders
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005796:Genes; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers