Autophagy: When to strike?

In cancer, autophagy seems to have a dual role in tumor cell survival and death. During early stages of tumorigenesis, autophagy can limit tumor growth, however, in advanced cancers it may facilitate tumor progression as a protective mechanism against various stress conditions [1]. Given that tumors are frequently exposed to environmental stresses such as nutrient deprivation, low PH and hypoxic conditions, inhibiting autophagy appears to be a promising target for therapy. In fact, we and others have shown that targeting this pathway in combination with existing therapies can improve therapeutic outcome in some cancers [2–6].