Autophagy,senescence and tumor dormancy in cancer therapy

The relationships between autophagy and apoptosis have been examined quite extensively and have often been shown to be reciprocally regulated responses to stresses such as exposure of the tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation. However, there is now evidence that autophagy may also play a role in tumor dormancy. Given that tumor dormancy and disease recurrence are poorly understood phenomenon which are nevertheless critical elements of patient morbidity and mortality, this commentary develops the postulate that autophagy and senescence may be related responses that influence the capacity of the tumor cell to maintain a prolonged state of growth arrest that can be succeeded by tumor regrowth and disease recurrence.