Control selection options for genome-wide association studies in cohorts.

Investigators planning studies within cohorts have many options for choosing an efficient sampling design for genome-wide association and other molecular epidemiology studies. Consideration of person-year and proportional hazards analyses of full cohorts may add further insight into ramifications of different designs. Empirical evidence from genome-wide association studies can supplement intuition and simulations in comparing properties of various case-control designs within cohorts. Additional theoretical and empirical work, justification of sampling choice in publications, and consideration of context and scientific aims can improve designs and, thereby, increase the scientific value and cost effectiveness of future studies.