Mitophagy can also confer therapeutic resistance as demonstrated by Hu et al, who showed tumour cells can upregulate mitophagy mediators such as BNIP3 to adapt to hypoxia induced by anti-angiogenic therapies.119 On the other hand, mitophagy can induce apoptosis and halt proliferation in cervical and breast cancer cells, respectively.120,121 Overall, mitophagy provides a mechanism of plasticity wherein tumour cells can eliminate mitochondria— either damaged or normal but superfluous—to serve the dynamic metabolic needs of tumorigenesis and metastasis. The gene discussed is BNIP3; the disease is neoplasm.