GCSE Biology revision

Cancer

Animal tissues, organs and organ systems

AQA 4.1.1.1

Your specification

AQA student objectives

Learning pathway

ALL 🎯

Identify and describe What Is Cancer?, Benign Tumours and Malignant Tumours in the context of cancer.

MOST 🎯🎯

Explain the relationships between What Is Cancer?, Benign Tumours and Malignant Tumours and how they contribute to cancer.

SOME 🎯🎯🎯

Apply and analyse knowledge of What Is Cancer?, Benign Tumours and Malignant Tumours to interpret unfamiliar information about cancer.

Revision summary

Read on screen, then print for Cornell-style active revision.

Cancer is a disease caused when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.
A tumour is an abnormal mass of cells that forms when a group of cells undergo uncontrolled growth and division.
Only malignant tumours are classified as cancer, whereas benign tumours are not.

Benign tumours are abnormal groups of cells that are contained within one area, usually enclosed within a membrane.
Because benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body, they are not normally dangerous and are not classified as cancer.

Malignant tumours are not contained by a membrane, allowing abnormal cells to enter the bloodstream and travel to different parts of the body.
Malignant cells can invade other tissues and form secondary tumours, causing widespread damage that can be potentially fatal.
It is the ability to spread and invade other tissues that makes malignant tumours classified as cancer.

3. Malignant TumoursAQA

Malignant tumours are not contained by a membrane, allowing abnormal cells to enter the bloodstream and travel to different parts of the body.
Malignant cells can invade other tissues and form secondary tumours, causing widespread damage that can be potentially fatal.
It is the ability to spread and invade other tissues that makes malignant tumours classified as cancer.

Smoking is strongly linked to lung cancer, as well as mouth, stomach, and cervical cancer.
Obesity is associated with an increased risk of several cancers, including bowel, liver, and kidney cancer.
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun or sunbeds is strongly linked to skin cancer, as UV radiation can damage skin cells.
Drinking alcohol is linked to an increased risk of liver cancer.

4. Lifestyle Risk Factors for CancerAQA

Smoking is strongly linked to lung cancer, as well as mouth, stomach, and cervical cancer.
Obesity is associated with an increased risk of several cancers, including bowel, liver, and kidney cancer.
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun or sunbeds is strongly linked to skin cancer, as UV radiation can damage skin cells.
Drinking alcohol is linked to an increased risk of liver cancer.

Not all risk factors are lifestyle choices; inherited genes can also make individuals more susceptible to certain cancers.
The BRCA genes are a key example of genetic risk factors, as inheriting these genes is linked to a higher chance of developing breast and ovarian cancer.