Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Autophagy is a fundamental lysosome-dependent degradation pathway that maintains cellular homeostasis by recycling intracellular components. It plays a critical role in stress adaptation, energy metabolism, and genomic stability. Emerging evidence supports that autophagy exhibits a context-dependent dual role in the development and progression of gynecologic malignancies. In the early stages of tumorigenesis or under specific molecular conditions, autophagy exerts tumor-suppressive effects by preserving genomic integrity, attenuating chronic inflammation, and promoting autophagy-related cell death. However, as tumors progress or are exposed to therapeutic stress-such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or targeted therapy-autophagy is frequently reactivated as an adaptive survival mechanism. This process enhances tumor cell tolerance to metabolic stress, oxidative damage, and therapeutic interventions, thereby facilitating tumor progression and contributing to drug resistance. Accordingly, this review systematically summarizes the molecular regulatory mechanisms of autophagy in gynecologic malignancies and its role in treatment responses. Furthermore, it highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting autophagy to improve precision treatment strategies.
Language: English
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7222335584