Our above analysis using knockout of several autophagy genes including Fip200 as well as Atg5 and Atg7 in 562 cells provided strong support for the regulation of vascular tumor cell growth by autophagy per se, rather than the loss of other potential autophagy-independent functions of these genes even though increasing evidence suggests that most, if not all, autophagy genes have functions independent of their roles in canonical autophagy47–49. This evidence concerns the gene RB1CC1 and vascular neoplasm.