title: Role of autophagy in cancer.
abstract: Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway for the clearance of damaged or superfluous proteins and organelles. The recycling of these intracellular constituents also serves as an alternative energy source during periods of metabolic stress to maintain homeostasis and viability. In tumour cells with defects in apoptosis, autophagy allows prolonged survival. Paradoxically, autophagy defects are associated with increased tumorigenesis, but the mechanism behind this has not been determined. Recent evidence suggests that autophagy provides a protective function to limit tumour necrosis and inflammation, and to mitigate genome damage in tumour cells in response to metabolic stress.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Karantza-Wadsworth
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002470:Cell Survival; D018890:Chemoprevention / Q000379:methods; D004249:DNA Damage; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D009336:Necrosis / Q000473:pathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents