Understanding the Autophagic Functions in Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance and Therapy Resistance

Recent ongoing studies examine autophagy/mitophagy as a powerful survival strategy in response to environmental stress including nutrient deprivation, hypoxia and environmental stress in tumormicroenvironment. It prevents irreversible senescence, promotes dormant stem-like state, induces epithelial–mesenchymal transition and increases migratory and invasive potential of tumor cells.