Cancer Risk Factors Revision Notes | GCSE OCR Foundation Biology

What this lesson covers

Investigate the lifestyle and genetic factors that can increase the risk of developing different types of cancer.

• Identify lifestyle risk factors that increase cancer risk
• Explain how genetic factors contribute to cancer development
• Compare the relative importance of different cancer risk factors
• Evaluate evidence linking specific factors to cancer types

Key ideas to keep in view

Use this lesson to stay inside B6.3 Monitoring and maintaining health while connecting the detail back to the wider B6: Global challenges topic.

• B6: Global challenges
• B6.3 Monitoring and maintaining health
• GCSE OCR Foundation Biology

Lesson notes preview

Read the core explanations from Cancer Risk Factors before testing yourself from memory.

• Cancer isn't random. Scientists have spent decades tracking patterns, asking: why do some people get cancer while others don't? The answer lies in risk factors — things that make cancer more likely to develop.
• Think of risk factors like loading dice. Normal cells have built-in protection against becoming cancerous. But each risk factor tips the odds slightly against you. The more risk factors you have, the more loaded the dice become.
• A factor that increases the likelihood of developing a disease. Can be lifestyle-related or genetic.
• Trap: Many students think risk factors guarantee you'll get cancer. They don't. They just increase probability. Someone with multiple risk factors might never develop cancer, while someone with none might still get it.
• 2. Lifestyle Risk Factors - The Choices We Make
• Lifestyle risk factors are the ones you can control. Scientists have identified several key behaviours that significantly increase cancer risk across different types.
• A behavioural or environmental factor that can be controlled or modified to reduce disease risk.
• Smoking is the biggest single risk factor. It doesn't just cause lung cancer — it increases risk for at least 14 different cancer types. The chemicals in tobacco smoke are carcinogens that directly damage DNA.
• Alcohol consumption increases risk for liver, breast, bowel, and throat cancers. Your liver breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and prevents cells from repairing themselves properly.
• Diet and obesity affect cancer risk through multiple pathways. Processed meats contain chemicals that can damage the bowel lining. Excess body fat produces hormones and inflammatory substances that promote cancer growth.

Continue through the topic

Move to the related lessons or back to the topic page when you need the wider sequence before exam-style practice.