Inhibition of ErbB Receptors and Autophagy in Cancer Therapy

Autophagy is a process that regulates the balance between synthesis of proteins and organelles and their degradation. Thus, autophagy can be viewed as a cell survival mechanism, which also maintain cell homeostasis. Unregulated or defective autophagy is linked to various pathologic conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Members of the ErbB family of transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases are involved in progression of several types of human cancers. Amplification, overexpression, and activating mutations of ErbBs are associated with reduced survival. Therefore, ErbB directed therapies are often used to treat cancer patients with amplified ErbB activation. In this chapter, we discuss the link between autophagy and ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases, with special emphasis on drugs targeting these oncogenes and their impact on autophagy.