Table 3.
Preclinical studies supporting autophagy induction for cancer treatment
| Cancer type | Primary treatment (target) | Autophagy induction method (target) | References |
| *Breast cancer | Doxorubicin (DNA) | RNAi (BCL-2) | 184 |
| Nelfinavir (HIV protease) | Tamoxifen (estrogen receptor) | 185 | |
| RT (DNA) | Z-VAD (caspases) | 186 | |
| AML | MGCD0103, vorinostat (histone deacetylation) | GX15-070 (BCL-2) | 187 |
| *Colorectal cancer | RT (DNA) | BCG (immune system) | 188 |
| Glioma, malignant | RT (DNA) | Arsenic trioxide (thioredoxin reductase) | 189 |
| Delta-24-RGD (DNA) | RAD001 (mTOR) | 190 | |
| * | OBP-405 | RAD001 (mTOR) | 191 |
| Lung cancer, non-small cell | RT (DNA) | ABT-737 (BCL-2) rapamycin (mTOR) | 192 |
| RT (DNA) | Z-VAD (caspases) | 186 | |
| RT (DNA) | Berberine (angiogenesis, COX-2, TNF) | 193 | |
| Lymphoma, mantle cell | Vorinostat (histone deacetylation) | Temsirolimus (mTOR) | 194 |
| *Renal cell cancer, VHL-deficient | STF-62247 (ER-Golgi trafficking) | STF-62247 (ER-Golgi trafficking) | 145 |
| *Pancreatic cancer | Sorafenib (multiple kinases) + HDACi (histone deacetylation) | GX15-070 (BCL-2) | 195 |
| Sarcoma, fibro- | RT (DNA) | Arsenic trioxide (thioredoxin reductase) | 196 |
| *Thyroid cancer, papillary | Doxorubicin, RT (DNA) | RAD001 (mTOR) | 197 |
*
Studies where genetic deletion or knockdown of autophagy regulator(s) prolonged cancer cell survival.