AQA 4.2.2.6 Lifestyle Factors and Cancer

Our body's cells usually follow a very strict set of chemical instructions to grow and divide safely. But what happens when those instructions go completely out of the window? In biology, this breakdown of cellular law and order is exactly how tumours form.In this episode of GCSE Science Unlocked, Lottie and Mr. H navigate Section 4.2.2.6: Cancer. We unpack the critical differences between a contained growth and a spreading disease, look at the lifestyle choices that act as environmental triggers, and discuss how our genetic code can sometimes stack the odds against us.🎧 What You'll Learn in This Episode:The Two Types of Tumour: How to clearly differentiate between a benign growth (contained within a membrane) and a malignant growth (cancer that actively invades other tissues).The Process of Metastasis: How malignant cells break away, travel through the bloodstream, and establish dangerous secondary tumours around the body.Lifestyle Triggers: The direct environmental links between smoking, obesity, UV exposure, and specific forms of cancer.The Genetic Lottery: Why some individuals inherit specific genetic risk factors, such as faulty BRCA genes, making them predisposed to certain conditions regardless of lifestyle choices.Mr. H's Exam Tip: If you are asked to define a tumour for the examiner, use the precise vocabulary from the specification. A tumour is a mass of cells formed by uncontrolled cell growth and division.Next Up: We are leaving human anatomy behind for a short while to see how things operate in the green world. Join us next time for Section 4.2.3: Plant Tissues, Organs and Systems—Lottie is off to warn her houseplants!Hit subscribe to keep your GCSE revision unlocked, and leave us a review if this episode helped you master the key definitions!