Research progress on the role of autophagy in cancer-associated fibroblasts / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

ABSTRACT

@#Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are one of the predominant stromal cells that constitute the tumor microenvironment, and play an essential role in tumor growth, metastasis, chemoresistance and tumor immunity. Autophagy is a cellular process through which cells degrade products in the metabolic process and reuse them to respond to environmental stress. Autophagy is important for tumor initiation, progression and response to therapy, as it connects cellular homeostasis with the extracellular environment that affects immunity and metabolism. This review, by introducing the role of autophagy in CAFs and its regulatory mechanism, summarizes the research progress on studies of autophagy in CAFs and tumor metabolism, progression, metastasis and resistance to therapy.