Autophagy is critical for the survival and stemness maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and is an enhancer of CSC tumorigenesis. At the same time, autophagy contributes to conditions optimal for facilitating the invasion and metastasis of CSCs. Moreover, autophagy induces the dormant state of CSCs to help them resist the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, thereby improving the likelihood of their survival. The combination of autophagy inhibitors with specific drugs targeting specific CSC subpopulations is expected to act specifically on CSCs and produce fewer toxic side effects on normal tissues. This in-depth study is very timely and important for further identifying the potential role of autophagy in different states of CSCs and places a particular emphasis on exploring molecular mechanisms in the regulation of autophagy via advanced techniques based on molecular biology.
Keywords: Autophagy; Stemness maintenance; Survival; Tumour stem cells.