# A patient is diagnosed with cancer after a routine screening. Explain how cancer develops in the body and describe two consequences of uncontrolled cell division.

> WJEC A-Level Biology (Wales) — 1.6 Cell division · Explain · 5 marks

> Cancer affects millions of people worldwide. It arises when normal cell division goes wrong.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Cancer is caused by a mutation in the cell's DNA
2. The mutation leads to uncontrolled growth and division of cells
3. This produces a large number of unwanted cells called a tumour
4. First consequence: the tumour can invade and damage surrounding tissues / organs
5. Second consequence: normal cell functions are disrupted because abnormal cells take resources / crowd out healthy cells

## Key terms

- [cancer](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/cancer)
- [cell division](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/cell-division)

## Related

- [Revision notes for WJEC A-Level Biology (Wales)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-patient-is-diagnosed-with-cancer-047456a6) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.