Increased autophagosome/autolysosome flux leads to the release of cathepsins and calpains into the cytosol where they catalyze the cleavage of the toxic BH3 domain protein BID that occurs concomitantly with the ER stress –induced decline in MCL-1 and BCL-XL expression; and, loss of HSP90 and HSP70 function also enables the reduction in expression of these tumor cell protective proteins. This evidence concerns the gene BID and neoplasm.