XBP1 and neoplasm: In parallel, an autophagy-related cytoprotective role of IRE1 and its downstream target X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) against hypoxia and tumor growth has only recently emerged (Hetz et al., 2009; Margariti et al., 2013; Chen X. et al., 2014; Fang et al., 2015).