Secretory autophagosomes mediate radiotherapy-induced abscopal adipose depletion
Radiotherapy serving as an essential treatment for patients with cancer. However, patients often experience weight loss during radiotherapy, and the extent of weight loss is associated with poor prognosis. The underlying mechanisms of radiotherapy-induced weight loss remain unclear. Here, our retrospective study demonstrates that weight loss in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients undergoing radiotherapy is primarily driven by fat depletion. In vitro and in vivo models identified particular extracellular vesicles termed secretory autophagosomes (SAPs) as mediators of radiotherapy-induced fat depletion. Bulk RNA-seq of adipocyte treated with SAPs was used to analyze the mechanism of lipolysis.