This book deals with the paradoxical role of autophagy in tumor suppression and tumor promotion in cancer cells. Autophagy plays opposing, context-dependent roles in tumors; accordingly, strategies based on inhibiting or stimulating autophagy could offer as potential cancer therapies. The book elucidates the physiological role of autophagy in modulating cancer metastasis, which is the primary cause of cancer-associated mortality. Further, it reviews its role in the differentiation, development, and activation of multiple immune cells, and its potential applications in tumor immunotherapy. In addition, it examines the effect of epigenetic modifications of autophagy-associated genes in regulating tumor growth and therapeutic response and summarizes autophagy’s role in the development of resistance to a variety of anti-cancer drugs in cancer cells. In closing, it assesses autophagy as a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for all oncologists and researchers who wish to understand the potential role of autophagy in tumor biology.

With the explosion of information on autophagy in cancer, this is an opportune time to speed the efforts to translate our current knowledge about autophagy regulation into better understanding of its role in cancer. This book will cover the latest advances in this area from the basics, such as the molecular machinery for autophagy induction and regulation, up to the current areas of interest such as modulation of autophagy and drug discovery for cancer prevention and treatment. The text will include an explanation on how autophagy can function in both oncogenesis and tumor suppression and a description of its function in tumor development and tumor suppression through its roles in cell survival, cell death, cell growth as well as its influences on inflammation, immunity, DNA damage, oxidative stress, tumor microenvironment, etc. The remaining chapters will cover topics on autophagy and cancer therapy. These pages will serve as a description on how the pro-survival function of autophagy may help cancer cells resist chemotherapy and radiation treatment as well as how the pro-death functions of autophagy may enhance cell death in response to cancer therapy, and how to target autophagy for cancer prevention and therapy − what to target and how to target it. ​

This volume discusses recent research advances in cancer biology, focusing on the role of the tumor microenvironment. Taken alongside its companion volumes, Tumor Microenvironment: Recent Advances covers the latest research on various aspects of the tumor microenvironment, as well as future directions. Useful for introducing the newer generation of researchers to the history of how scientists studied the tumor microenvironment as well as how this knowledge is currently applied for cancer treatments, it will be essential reading for advanced cell biology and cancer biology students, as well as researchers seeking an update on research on the tumor microenvironment.

Autophagy in Immune Response: Impact on Cancer Immunotherapy focuses on the status and future directions of autophagy with respect to different aspects of its interaction with the immune system and immunotherapy. The book takes scientific research in autophagy a step further by presenting reputable information on the topic and offering integrated content with advancements in autophagy, from cell biology and biochemical research, to clinical treatments. This book is a valuable source for cancer researchers, oncologists, graduate students and several members of biomedical field who are interested in learning more on the relationship between autophagy and immunotherapies. Presents updated knowledge on autophagy at the basic level and its potential use in cancer treatment Offers the first book to cover autophagy at the interface of cell biology, immunology and tumor biology Provides a wealth of information on the topic in a coherent and comprehensive collection of contributions by world renowned scientists and investigators

Macroautophagy, the major lysosomal pathway for recycling intracellular components including whole organelles, has emerged as a key process modulating tumorigenesis, tumor–stroma interactions, and cancer therapy. An impressive number of studies over the past decade have unraveled the plastic role of autophagy during tumor development and dissemination. The discoveries that autophagy may either support or repress neoplastic growth and contextually favor or weaken resistance and impact antitumor immunity have spurred efforts from many laboratories trying to conceptualize the complex role of autophagy in cancer using cellular and preclinical models. This complexity is further accentuated by recent findings highlighting that various autophagy-related genes have roles beyond this catabolic mechanism and interface with oncogenic pathways, other trafficking and degradation mechanisms and the cell death machinery. From a therapeutic perspective, knowledge of how autophagy modulates the tumor microenvironment is crucial to devise autophagy-targeting strategies using smart combination of drugs or anticancer modalities. This eBook contains a collection of reviews by autophagy researchers and provides a background to the state-of-the-art in the field of autophagy in cancer, focusing on various aspects of autophagy regulation ranging from its molecular components to its cell autonomous role, e.g. in cell division and oncogenesis, miRNAs regulation, cross-talk with cell death pathways as well as cell non-autonomous role, e.g. in secretion, interface with tumor stroma and clinical prospects of autophagy-based biomarkers and autophagy modulators in anticancer therapy. This eBook is part of the TransAutophagy initiative to better understand the clinical implications of autophagy in cancer.