Dealing with competing and conflicting risks in cancer communication.

Applied research on cancer risk communication is sparse, and even less is known about effective communication under conditions of multiple risks. This paper briefly describes the need and rationale for cancer risk communication, then describes what is known and needs to be known about communication addressing multiple risks. Its focus is on two specific communication issues: 1) comparing different risks and 2) prioritizing between multiple risks. There is considerable unmet need in cancer risk communication for new knowledge and recommendations for best practices. Those professionals choosing to pursue this work can make a significant contribution to the field.