The roles of autophagy in cancer and the therapeutic implications

Autophagy is a catabolic cellular process that degrades and recycles cellular proteins and damaged organelles. Constitutive autophagy at a basal level is crucial to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and metabolism. It modulates the quality control of proteins and organelles and degrades aggregated proteins alongside the ubiquitin-proteosome pathway. Cancer develops from uncontrolled proliferation of genetically mutated cells and no definite cure has been devised to this day. In recent years, the complex and multifaceted nature of autophagy has drawn attention to its relationship with cancer. While autophagy is often considered a protective mechanism against tumourigenesis due to its regulation of homeostasis, emerging evidence suggests that autophagy can also promote cancer progression. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the intricate interplay between autophagy and cancer, evaluating the tumor-suppressive and tumor-promotive roles of autophagy during tumourigenesis and cancer progression. The molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of autophagy on cancer will be examined as well as the challenges and opportunities in autophagy-focused therapeutic strategies. Dissecting the relationship between autophagy and cancer offers great opportunities for the advancement of therapeutic approaches.