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Review
. 2017 Jul 11;18(7):1496.
doi: 10.3390/ijms18071496.

Clinical Applications of Autophagy Proteins in Cancer: From Potential Targets to Biomarkers

Svetlana Bortnik  1   2 , Sharon M Gorski  3   4   5   6
Affiliations
Review

Clinical Applications of Autophagy Proteins in Cancer: From Potential Targets to Biomarkers

Svetlana Bortnik et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Autophagy, a lysosome-mediated intracellular degradation and recycling pathway, plays multiple context-dependent roles in tumorigenesis and treatment resistance. Encouraging results from various preclinical studies have led to the initiation of numerous clinical trials with the intention of targeting autophagy in various cancers. Accumulating knowledge of the particular mechanisms and players involved in different steps of autophagy regulation led to the ongoing discovery of small molecule inhibitors designed to disrupt this highly orchestrated process. However, the development of validated autophagy-related biomarkers, essential for rational selection of patients entering clinical trials involving autophagy inhibitors, is lagging behind. One possible source of biomarkers for this purpose is the autophagy machinery itself. In this review, we address the recent trends, challenges and advances in the assessment of the biomarker potential of clinically relevant autophagy proteins in human cancers.

Keywords: autophagy; biomarkers; cancer; immunohistochemistry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of autophagy. Autophagy proteins indicated with an asterisk have been investigated as potential biomarkers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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