GWAS have identified several hundred variants for cancer risk, with new variants being reported from large-scale meta-analysis [Hindorff, et al. 2013; Sakoda, et al. 2013]. The “post-GWAS” era is seeing advances in exome and whole-genome sequencing and rare-variant analysis, as well as functional follow-up and epidemiologic examinations through projects like the NCI-sponsored Genetic Associations and Mechanisms of Oncology (“GAME-ON”) Initiative. [http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/gameon/]. GAME-ON has been actively involved in developing large collection of samples for which environmental exposures have been well harmonized, thus allowing large-scale genome-wide interaction analyses to be effectively conducted. Adopting standards for assessment of environmental exposure assessment, such as standards that have been presented by the PhenX initiative will assist researchers to aggregate sufficiently harmonized studies to be jointly analyzed [Hamilton, et al. 2011]. There have been advances in measuring exposures and developing tools and technologies to assess environmental factors [National Research Council 2012].
