title: Sample size requirements for association studies of gene-gene interaction.
abstract: In the study of complex diseases, it may be important to test hypotheses related to gene-gene (G x G) interaction. The success of such studies depends critically on obtaining adequate sample sizes. In this paper, the author investigates sample size requirements for studies of G x G interaction, focusing on four study designs: the matched-case-control design, the case-sibling design, the case-parent design, and the case-only design. All four designs provide an estimate of interaction on a multiplicative scale, which is used as a unifying theme in the comparison of sample size requirements. Across a variety of genetic models, the case-only and case-parent designs require fewer sampling units (cases and case-parent trios, respectively) than the case-control (pairs) or case-sibling (pairs) design. For example, the author describes an asthma study of two common recessive genes for which 270 matched case-control pairs would be required to detect a G x G interaction of moderate magnitude with 80% power. By comparison, the same study would require 319 case-sibling pairs but only 146 trios in the case-parent design or 116 cases in the case-only design. A software program that computes sample size for studies of G x G interaction and for studies of gene-environment (G x E) interaction is freely available (http://hydra.usc.edu/gxe).
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1540 Alcazar Street, Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. jimg@usc.edu
authors.forename: W James
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Gauderman
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010375:Pedigree; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D018401:Sample Size; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity