Autophagy is an important cellular metabolic process, which is mainly responsible for the degradation of proteins and damaged organelles, as well as the degradation products for energy supply and protein synthesis. Autophagy is finely regulated to adapt the environment. Excessive activation or inhibition of autophagy can lead to the imbalance of autophagy level, and then lead to the development of a variety of diseases including tumors. Recent studies have shown that autophagy has a complex regulatory role in the occurrence and development of tumors and the sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, while the key steps in the process of autophagy are strictly regulated by the autophagy ubiquitin-like conjugation system. Our review is aimed to summarize the effect of autophagy ubiquitin-like conjunction system on the occurrence and development of tumors and the sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, so as to provide new perspectives and strategies for future tumor research based on autophagy.