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medium difficulty6 min

Cancer: Tumours, Metastasis and Diagnosis

Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell division in which abnormal cells may form tumours and, in malignant cases, invade nearby tissues or spread to distant sites.

In one line: Cancer answers become clear with BMIC: Benign stays local, Malignant Invades, and cancer cells may Circulate through blood or lymph to metastasise.

Concept Practice Coming Soon

Understand it

  • Normal cell division is regulated by cellular controls.
  • Cancer develops when these controls fail due to genetic changes influenced by carcinogens, radiation, certain viruses, or inherited susceptibility.
  • Benign tumours remain localised and usually do not invade surrounding tissues.
  • Malignant tumours grow aggressively, invade tissues, and may spread through blood or lymph, a process called metastasis.
  • Diagnosis may involve biopsy and imaging, while treatment at school level includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
  • Exams focus on benign versus malignant tumours, metastasis, carcinogens, and early detection.

Example

A malignant tumour in one tissue can release cells into blood or lymph, allowing secondary tumours to form elsewhere. This spreading ability makes metastasis a key cancer feature.

Rule to remember

Cancer mechanism rule: loss of cell-cycle control can produce tumours; malignant tumours invade and metastasise, while benign tumours remain localised.

See it worked out

Follow the example line by line, then use the same method on new questions.

Worked example

  1. 1Question: Differentiate benign and malignant tumours.
  2. 2Answer: Benign tumours remain localised and do not invade, while malignant tumours invade surrounding tissues and may metastasise.

Method you can reuse

  1. 1Define cancer as uncontrolled cell division.
  2. 2Mention failure of regulatory control.
  3. 3Distinguish benign and malignant tumours.
  4. 4Explain invasion and metastasis.
  5. 5Add carcinogens and diagnostic or treatment methods if asked.

Check yourself

Answer the question in your head before opening the answer.

Try it yourself

Why is metastasis considered dangerous in cancer?

Think first, then show answer
Metastasis is dangerous because malignant cells spread from the original tumour to distant body parts, making the disease harder to localise and treat.

Common wrong answer

Writing that biopsy is a treatment is wrong; biopsy is a diagnostic examination of tissue.

Don't mix this up

Students often write that every tumour is cancerous. Benign tumours are localised, while malignant tumours are cancerous and invasive.

Exam tip

Always distinguish uncontrolled division, malignant nature, invasion, metastasis, and carcinogen with exact terms.

Write it in the exam

Each point is worth about one mark. Write point 1 for a 1-mark question and keep adding points as the marks go up.

How CBSE asks it

Asked as definition of metastasis, benign-malignant comparison, carcinogen examples, biopsy meaning, and treatment-method identification.

Answer plan

Define cancer, mention uncontrolled division, differentiate benign and malignant tumours, explain metastasis, name carcinogens or diagnostic methods, and add treatment examples only if asked.
  1. 1

    Enough for 1 mark

    Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell division in which abnormal cells may form tumours and, in malignant cases, invade nearby tissues or spread to distant sites.

  2. 2

    Add for 2 marks

    Example: A malignant tumour in one tissue can release cells into blood or lymph, allowing secondary tumours to form elsewhere. This spreading ability makes metastasis a key cancer feature.

  3. 3

    Add for 3 marks

    Normal cell division is regulated by cellular controls.

Practice

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