Autophagy is a fundamental cellular metabolic process, whose main role is to remove excess or damaged organelles and maintain the normal structural state of cells. Autophagy‑related gene 5 (ATG5) is one of the important genes involved in cellular autophagy, which is widely expressed in tissues and cells and connected to various signaling pathways. It is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, invasion and migration as well as the tumor immune microenvironment, which affects the resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as the overall survival of tumor patients. Recently, many studies have confirmed that ATG5 plays a double‑edged sword role on tumors, as it can play not only pro‑tumor but also tumor‑suppressive roles. However, its role in tumor treatment has not been systematically summarized. Therefore, this paper provides a systematic summary of the basic functions of ATG5, its role in the development and treatment of tumors and potentially give some ideas for clinical treatment of tumors.
Keywords: apoptosis; autophagy; autophagy‑related gene 5; tumor.