AQA GCSE Biology (8461), Higher tier · Organisation › Animal tissues, organs and organ systems
Practise Cancer. 11 exam-style questions plus unlimited generated ones on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
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Complete the sentence. Cancer is the result of changes in cells that lead to ____________ growth and division.
uncontrolled
The statements describe how a malignant tumour forms and spreads. They are not in the correct order. A Cells break off from the tumour and enter the blood. B Changes in a cell cause it to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way. C The cells are carried to another part of the body. D A tumour forms. E The cells divide to form a secondary tumour. Write the letters in the correct order.
B, D, A, C, E
Sample questions
Written for this site in the style of AQA exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy4 marks
Cancer is a non-communicable disease.
(a) Complete the sentence. Cancer is the result of changes in cells that lead to ____________ growth and division.[1]
(b) Which statement describes a benign tumour? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
It is contained in one area, usually within a membrane.
It spreads to other parts of the body in the blood.
It forms secondary tumours.
It invades neighbouring tissues.
(c) What type of tumour invades neighbouring tissues and spreads to other parts of the body?[1]
(d) Give one lifestyle risk factor for cancer.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: uncontrolled
uncontrolled
(b)Answer: It is contained in one area, usually within a membrane.
(c)Answer: malignant
malignant
(d)
smoking / obesity / drinking alcohol / exposure to UV (sunlight or sunbeds) / poor diet
Question 2Medium5 marks
Tumours can be benign or malignant.
(a) Give two differences between benign tumours and malignant tumours.[2]
(b) A patient has a malignant tumour in the lung. Doctors later find a secondary tumour in the brain. Explain how the secondary tumour formed.[2]
(c) Some people have a genetic risk factor for a type of cancer. What is meant by a genetic risk factor?[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)
benign tumours are contained in one area / within a membrane, malignant tumours invade neighbouring tissues
malignant tumours spread in the blood to form secondary tumours, benign tumours do not spread
(b)
cells broke off the lung tumour and were carried in the blood (to the brain)
they divided (uncontrollably) in the brain to form a new tumour
(c)
an inherited gene / allele that increases the likelihood of developing the cancer
Question 3Hard6 marks
A tumour can usually be detected by a scan when it contains about 1 × 109 cells. In one type of tumour, the number of cells doubles every 60 days. 229 = 5.4 × 108 and 230 = 1.07 × 109
(a) A tumour starts from one abnormal cell. How many doublings are needed before the tumour contains at least 1 × 109 cells?[1]
(b) Calculate the time taken for the tumour to reach this size. Give your answer in years. 1 year = 365 days[2]
(c) Explain why it is important to detect malignant tumours while they are small.[2]
(d) Suggest one reason why a real tumour might take longer than your calculated time to reach 1 × 109 cells.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: 30
30
(b)Answer: 4.9 years
30 × 60 = 1800 (days)
(1800 ÷ 365 =) 4.9 (years)
(c)
before cells break off and spread in the blood to form secondary tumours
so the tumour is easier to remove / treat successfully
(d)
some tumour cells die / the doubling time increases as the tumour grows / the tumour's blood supply limits its growth