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The autophagic paradox in cancer therapy

W K K Wu1, S B Coffelt, C H Cho

  • 1Institute of Digestive Diseases, LKS Institute of Health Sciences and Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. wukakei@cuhk.edu.hk

Oncogene
|July 19, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Autophagy plays a dual role in cancer, acting as a tumor suppressor early on but promoting cancer cell survival during therapy. Modulating autophagy offers a novel therapeutic strategy, despite its complex nature.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Autophagy is a cellular degradation process involving autophagosomes.
  • Its role in cancer (carcinogenesis) is context-dependent.
  • It can suppress tumors or aid cancer cell survival.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the paradoxical role of autophagy in cancer.
  • To evaluate autophagy modulation as a cancer therapy strategy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on autophagy and cancer.
  • Analysis of autophagy's function in carcinogenesis and therapy.

Main Results:

  • Autophagy inhibits early carcinogenesis by reducing inflammation and stabilizing the genome.
  • Cancer cells utilize autophagy for survival against therapy-induced stress.
  • Autophagy inhibition can sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiation.
  • In some cases, autophagy enhances the efficacy of certain anticancer agents.

Conclusions:

  • Autophagy has a Janus-faced role in cancer, acting as both a tumor suppressor and a pro-survival mechanism.
  • Targeting autophagy presents a novel approach to cancer treatment.
  • The complex nature of autophagy may complicate the clinical development of autophagy modulators.

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