Question: How does cancer pass down from each generation?

Alex Pool answered on 14 Nov 2014:

So cancer isn’t contagious and you can’t catch it from other people.

Cancer is caused by mutations in our DNA, so the code that controls what the cells in our body do. If that code is wrong then the cells don’t follow the normal rules and cancer starts. For cancer to start a cell in your body has to have at least three mutations in the DNA which can happen either randomly, or can be caused through things like smoking, sunburn etc.

Some people get mutations in their DNA passed down from their parents – this doesn’t mean they’ll definitely get cancer, it just makes it more likely as they’re already closer to getting those three mutations.