BECN1 and neoplasm: Important evidence for the role of autophagy in tumor suppression comes from the depletion of the essential autophagy regulator BECN1 (Beclin 1, also known as autophagy-related gene 6 (ATG6)) in human breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers (Aita et al., 1999; Liang et al., 1999; Choi et al., 2013).