Breast cancer is that the second leading reason behind cancer-associated death in girls within the u. s., with over ninetieth of these deaths attributed to metastasis. carcinoma metastasis is incurable and possesses few treatment choices and a poor overall prognosis due partially to unsupportive pathologic process attributes, notably the acquisition of dormancy-associated phenotypes. Dormant disseminated growth cells will persist for years-to-decades before revenant as extremely aggressive, secondary lesions. Dormancy-associated phenotypes square measure exhibited by carcinoma stem cells (BCSCs), that endure growth initiation and unlimited self-renewal. Additionally, to their specialized skills to bypass therapy insultsBCSCs conjointly upregulate autophagy throughout pathologic process dormancy as a way to survive in nutrient poor conditions and environmental stress. As such, therapeutic targeting of autophagy is actively being pursued as a gorgeous strategy to alleviate pathologic process unwellness  the return of dormant BCSCs. Here we tend to review the molecular and cellular options of autophagy, in addition as its self-contradictory role in each suppressing and promoting duct gland growth development and pathologic process progression. Finally, we tend to highlight the clinical challenges related to therapeutic targeting of autophagy in pathologic process breast cancers.