Zarzynska Joanna Magdalena
Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, WULS-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:710345. doi: 10.1155/2014/710345. Epub 2014 Sep 17.
Breast cancer (BC) is a potentially life-threatening malignant tumor that still causes high mortality among women. One of the mechanisms through which cancer development could be controlled is autophagy. This process exerts different effects during the stages of cancer initiation and progression due to the occurring superimposition of signaling pathways of autophagy and carcinogenesis. Chronic inhibition of autophagy or autophagy deficiency promotes cancer, due to instability of the genome and defective cell growth and as a result of cell stress. However, increased induction of autophagy can become a mechanism which allows tumor cells to survive the conditions of hypoxia, acidosis, or chemotherapy. Therefore, in the development of cancer, autophagy is regarded as a double-edged sword. Determination of the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy regulation and its role in tumorigenesis is an essential component of modern anticancer strategies. Results of scientific studies show that inhibition of autophagy may enhance the effectiveness of currently used anticancer drugs and other therapies (like radiotherapy). However, in some cases, the promotion of autophagy can induce death and, hence, elimination of the cancer cells and reduction of tumor size. This review summarizes the current knowledge on autophagy regulation in BC and up-to-date anticancer strategies correlated with autophagy.
乳腺癌（BC）是一种潜在的危及生命的恶性肿瘤，在女性中仍导致高死亡率。癌症发展得以控制的机制之一是自噬。由于自噬信号通路与致癌作用信号通路的叠加，这一过程在癌症起始和进展阶段发挥着不同的作用。自噬的慢性抑制或自噬缺陷会促进癌症，这是由于基因组不稳定、细胞生长缺陷以及细胞应激所致。然而，自噬诱导增加可成为一种使肿瘤细胞在缺氧、酸中毒或化疗条件下存活的机制。因此，在癌症发展过程中，自噬被视为一把双刃剑。确定自噬调控的分子机制及其在肿瘤发生中的作用是现代抗癌策略的重要组成部分。科学研究结果表明，抑制自噬可能会提高目前使用的抗癌药物及其他疗法（如放疗）的有效性。然而，在某些情况下，促进自噬可诱导癌细胞死亡，从而消除癌细胞并缩小肿瘤大小。本综述总结了目前关于乳腺癌中自噬调控的知识以及与自噬相关的最新抗癌策略。
