Fig. 3.

Dynamic fluctuations in autophagy promote cancer progression. With an increasing age and a subsequent decrease in autophagic flux, early tumor development can be promoted through several mechanisms. (1) Through the creation of pro‐tumor damage at the level of protein, organelle homeostasis, and/or DNA damage; (2) the induction of cellular senescence which can generate a pro‐tumorigenic microenvironment; (3) modification of precancerous cellular states accelerating the transition to malignant cancer.