The treatment of CML K562 cells with gambogic acid (0.5–2 μM) resulted in the activation of cell death by apoptosis and autophagy, with the accumulation of autophagic vacuoles, an increase in autophagy-related proteins (LC3 and Beclin 1) and a decrease in p62 protein levels. Here, SQSTM1 is linked to chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive.