Background

Autophagy intensity decreases in most blood malignancies, promoting cancer cell proliferation. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are two main variants of leukemia. LC3, an important autophagy gene, and its protein, MAP1LC3B, precisely predict autophagy initiation and progression. The main objective of this systematic review is to investigate the correlation between changes in the expression of the LC3 gene in patients with ALL and AML.

Methods

We performed a literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science database in November 20, 2025, using the keywords and MeSH terms. All searches were restricted to sources in the English language, andwe focused on human case-control studies where definitive diagnosis was performed using hematological parameters.

Results

Initial identification included 1282 articles. Duplicates were removed, leaving 821 papers for screening. From these, 787 articles were removed for inappropriate titles and abstracts, leaving 34 for further review. Ultimately, 10 papers met the criteria for this systematic review. Five AML investigations demonstrated considerably lower LC3 gene expression than healthy controls. Downregulation was similar in one research. Upregulation was seen in two investigations. In two papers, ALL patients had considerably lower expression than healthy controls. Upregulation was significant in one study and non-significant in another one.

Conclusion

The LC3 gene appears to be downregulated more consistently in AML, suggesting potential diagnostic or prognostic value. However, findings in ALL are inconsistent, and no definitive conclusion can be drawn. Further high-quality studies are required to clarify the role of LC3 in acute leukemias.

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