Case–control study

Type of epidemiological study in which a group of subjects with the disease of interest (e.g. cases with lung cancer) is compared with a group of subjects who are free of this disease (controls) but have similar characteristics (sex, attained age, etc.). A nested case–control study is a specific type of case–control study, in which both cases and controls are extracted from a cohort study, aiming to obtain a more detailed evaluation than possible within the entire cohort.

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from ICRP Publication 115, 2010

Type of epidemiological study in which a group of subjects with the disease of interest (e.g. cases with lung cancer) is compared with a group of subjects who are free of this disease (controls) but have similar characteristics (sex, attained age, etc.). This type of epidemiological design was most often used in indoor radon studies. For each individual, past exposures are estimated from measurements of radon concentration in current and previously occupied dwellings. A nested case–control study is a specific type of case–control study, in which both cases and controls are extracted from a cohort study, aiming to obtain a more detailed evaluation than possible within the entire cohort.