Cancer

Autophagy and Cancer

Several genes involved in tumor suppression and/or are associated with cancer susceptibility are also regulators of autophagy. Decreased expression of Beclin-1 is associated with prostate and breast cancers, and gene transfer of Beclin-1 to cancer cell lines can inhibit their growth in culture. Autophagy’s anti-cancer properties are likely attributable to mechanisms that indirectly inhibit cancer growth and spread. For example, deleting autophagy genes promotes genomic instability which can increase the chances for oncogenesis. Autophagy may also degrade organelles and cell components essential for cell growth, or inhibit the growth of tumors by preventing necrosis to avoid cancer-promoting inflammation. In the context of current cancer drug treatment, however, autophagy actually suppresses cell death in animal models. This is likely a result of autophagy’s pro-survival response to drug-induced stress. A detailed understanding of how autophagy impacts cancer will therefore be critical for the development of combination therapies that involve autophagy regulation.