ULK1 and metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes: ULK1, a conserved Ser/Thr kinase, plays a pivotal role in autophagy induction.540 High expression of ULK-1 is associated with poor prognosis in various tumors, including esophageal SCC,541 HCC,542 NPC,543 prostate cancer,544 and CRC.545 Studies have found that HCC patients with ULK1 and LC3B overexpression have larger tumors and a higher frequency of lymph node metastasis.