Tehran University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Research 2008-2207 16 4 2022 10 15 250 263 Atousa Haghi 1) Research Institute for Oncology, Hematology and Cell Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2) Young Researchers and Elite Club, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 3) Cell Therapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center. Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mahnaz Mohammadi Kian 1) Cell Therapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2) Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mahdieh Salemi 1) Research Institute for Oncology, Hematology and Cell Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2) Cell Therapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Reza Eghdami 1) Department of Social Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran 2) Department of Biological Anthropology, Research Institute of Guilan Studies, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Mohsen Nikbakht Research Institute for Oncology, Hematology and Cell Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2) Cell Therapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2021 02 13 2022 01 11 Autophagy is an intracellular self-degradative process that delivers cytoplasmic constituents to the lysosome. Autophagy plays a critical role in balancing sources of energy in response to harsh conditions and nutrient deprivation. Autophagy allows cells to survive in harsh condition and also serve as a death mechanism. Any dysregulation in autophagy signaling may lead to several disorders. Autophagy has been proposed to explain chemotherapy resistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This signaling pathway can either act as a tumor suppressive function or chemo-resistance mechanism. Conventional chemotherapy drugs enhance apoptosis and indicate clinical benefit, but in some cases, relapse and chemotherapy resistance are observed. In leukemia, autophagy may promote cell survival in response to chemotherapy drugs. Therefore, new strategies by inhibiting or activating autophagy may find a broad application for treating leukemia and may significantly enhance clinical outcomes. In this review, we discussed how dimensional role of autophagy in leukemia.  https://ijhoscr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijhoscr/article/view/1547 https://ijhoscr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijhoscr/article/download/1547/955