Autophagy is a catabolic intracellular nutrient-scavenging pathway triggered by nutrient deprivation and stress that captures and degrades intracellular proteins and organelles in lysosomes. The breakdown products are then recycled into metabolic pathways to sustain survival. Organelle turnover by autophagy contributes to quality control and suppresses inflammation. Autophagy is upregulated in many cancers and supports their growth, survival, and malignancy in a tumor cell-autonomous fashion. Host autophagy also promotes tumor growth by maintaining a supply of essential nutrients and suppressing innate and adaptive antitumor immune responses. Autophagy is also upregulated in response to cancer therapy and confers treatment resistance. Thus, autophagy is a cancer vulnerability and its inhibition is under investigation as a novel therapeutic approach.

自噬是一种由营养缺乏和应激触发的分解代谢细胞内营养物清除途径，捕获并降解溶酶体中的细胞内蛋白质和细胞器。然后分解产物被回收到代谢途径中以维持生存。自噬引起的细胞器更新有助于质量控制和抑制炎症。自噬在许多癌症中上调，并以肿瘤细胞自主的方式支持其生长、存活和恶性肿瘤。宿主自噬还通过维持必需营养素的供应并抑制先天性和适应性抗肿瘤免疫反应来促进肿瘤生长。自噬也会因癌症治疗而上调并产生治疗抵抗。因此，自噬是一种癌症脆弱性，其抑制作为一种新的治疗方法正在研究中。