Abstract: Autophagy, which is a homeostatic mechanism for intracellular recycling and metabolic regulation, has emerged as a lysosomal degradation pathway for the breakdown of intracellular proteins and organelles. Autophagy has dual roles in cancer, namely, as a mechanism for cell survival that confers stress tolerance and as a tumor suppressor by preventing tumorigenesis and metastasis or even as a death pathway for some cancer cells with apoptotic defects. In addition, the dual role of autophagy is also involved in cancer treatment. This study further discusses the dynamic nature of autophagy and provide new approaches for cancer therapy.