This figure illustrates the general strategy for prostate and breast cancer genome-wide association studies. Each of the phases described below contributes to the overall goal of identifying clinical markers for prevention and early intervention.

• The initial study, which includes 1,150 cases and 1,150 controls, results in 540,000 Tag SNPs.
• The first follow-up study, which includes 3,500 cases and 3,500 controls, results in -28,000 SNPs.
• The second follow-up study, which includes 3,500 cases and 3,500 controls, results in at least 1,500 SNPs.
• Fine mapping results in 30 ± 20 loci.