The present study examined the intracellular localization and mRNA expression levels of key autophagy markers, including Beclin-1, p62 and LC3, as well as the formation of acidic vesicular organelles using acridine orange staining, to further elucidate the link between autophagy and combined treatment of HepG2 cancer cells with sorafenib and sertraline. This evidence concerns the gene MAP1LC3A and cancer.