Autophagy is the major catabolic process in eukaryotic cells for the degradation and recycling of damaged macromolecules and organelles. It plays a crucial role in cell quality control and nutrient supply under stress conditions. Although autophagy is classically described as a degradative mechanism, it can also be involved in some secretion pathways, leading to the extracellular release of proteins, aggregates, or organelles.

The role of autophagy in cancer is complex and depends on tumor development stage. While autophagy limits cancer development in the early stages of tumorigenesis, it can also have a protumoral role in more advanced cancers, promoting primary tumor growth and metastatic spread. In addition to its pro-survival role in established tumors, autophagy recently emerged as an active player in the crosstalk between tumor and stromal cells. The aim of this review is to analyze the impact of tumoral autophagy on the microenvironment and conversely the effect of stromal cell autophagy on tumor cells.

自噬是真核细胞中降解和回收受损大分子和细胞器的主要分解代谢过程。在压力条件下，它在细胞质量控制和营养供应中起着至关重要的作用。尽管自噬被经典地描述为一种降解机制，但它也可能参与某些分泌途径，导致蛋白质，聚集体或细胞器的细胞外释放。

自噬在癌症中的作用是复杂的，取决于肿瘤的发展阶段。尽管自噬限制了肿瘤发生早期的癌症发展，但它在更晚期的癌症中也具有肿瘤作用，促进原发性肿瘤生长和转移扩散。除了在已确定的肿瘤中具有生存作用外，自噬最近还成为肿瘤与基质细胞之间串扰的活跃参与者。这篇综述的目的是分析肿瘤自噬对微环境的影响，以及反过来基质细胞自噬对肿瘤细胞的影响。