Autophagy is a cellular degradative pathway that plays diverse roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Cellular stress caused by starvation, organelle damage, or proteotoxic aggregates can increase autophagy, which uses the degradative capacity of lysosomal enzymes to mitigate intracellular stresses. Early studies have shown a role for autophagy in the suppression of tumorigenesis. However, work in genetically engineered mouse models and in vitro cell studies have now shown that autophagy can be either cancer-promoting or inhibiting. Here, we summarize the effects of autophagy on cancer initiation, progression, immune infiltration, and metabolism. We also discuss the efforts to pharmacologically target autophagy in the clinic and highlight future areas for exploration.

中文翻译：

---

自噬在癌症中的多方面作用

自噬是一种细胞降解途径，在维持细胞稳态方面发挥着多种作用。由饥饿、细胞器损伤或蛋白毒性聚集体引起的细胞应激会增加自噬，自噬利用溶酶体酶的降解能力来减轻细胞内应激。早期研究表明自噬在抑制肿瘤发生中的作用。然而，基因工程小鼠模型和体外细胞研究的工作现已表明，自噬可以促进或抑制癌症。在这里，我们总结了自噬对癌症发生、进展、免疫浸润和代谢的影响。我们还讨论了在临床上以药理学方式靶向自噬的努力，并强调了未来的探索领域。