Targeting chaperone-mediated autophagy in cancer.

A study in this issue of Science Translational Medicine provides fresh insight into the role of autophagy in cancer. Kon et al. show that a specific type of autophagy, called chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), is consistently elevated in tumors and is required for optimal tumor growth and metastasis. Selective inhibition of CMA slows tumor growth, boosts tumor cell death, and induces the regression of existing tumors. This work provides a rationale for further exploring manipulation of the CMA pathway as a strategy for treating cancer.