Autophagy-related ncRNAs: Regulatory Roles and Potential Therapeutic Effects in Digestive System Neoplasms

Among all cancers in the world, the incidence rate of digestive system neoplasms accounts for about 25%, while the mortality rate accounts for about 35%. Difficulty in detecting early digestive system cancers and its poor prognosis are the two main reasons for the high mortality rate. Understanding of the basic cellular processes is of significance and autophagy is one of these processes. Considering the importance of autophagy in pathological state functions, the mechanism of autophagy was initially carried out. In this paper, we will review the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of autophagy-associated ncRNAs in different types of digestive system cancers. Autophagy is a process that supports nutrient cycling and metabolic adaptation accomplished through multi-step lysosomal degradation. It has been suggested that autophagy has a dual role in cancer, which limits tumorigenesis in some stages but promotes tumor progression in others. NcRNAs are also shown to modulate cellular autophagy and thus affect the development of digestive system neoplasms. More and more evidence suggests that the regulation of autophagy by ncRNAs plays a complex role in cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, recurrence, and treatment resistance, which might make ncRNAs therapeutic targets for digestive system neoplasms. While miRNAs participate mainly in post-transcriptional regulation, lncRNAs, and circRNAs usually serve as molecular sponges that have more diverse regulatory functions.