Autophagy is a conservative process of lysosomal digestion of damaged cell organelles, pathogens and nonfunctional proteins, which determines the maintenance of cellular balance. This process is an alternative source of energy for the cell under stress conditions induced by starvation, chemical factors or hypoxia. In recent years, the interest in autophagy has increased, and its dysfunctionality is considered to be one of the factors contributing to the development of various disease entities. The likelihood of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases or neurodegenerative diseases increases with age, and the process of autophagy is inhibited in an aging body, which further indicates the involvement of impaired autophagy in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Therefore, activities aimed at modifying the pathways related to autophagy are indicated as a potential therapeutic tool. In this review, we present selected diseases, the causes of which are believed to be disturbed autophagy, indicate potential therapeutic possibilities and emphasize the dichotomous role of autophagy, especially in the neoplastic process.