Background: Renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) is resistant to almost all chemotherapeutics and radiation therapy. ${eta}$-Elemene, a promising anticancer drug extracted from a traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to be effective against various tumors. In the present study, anti-tumor effects on RCC cells and the involved mechanisms were investigated. Methods: Human RCC 786-0 cells were treated with different concentrations of ${eta}$-elemene, and cell viability and apoptosis were measured by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Protein expression was assayed by western blotting. Autophagy was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. Results: ${eta}$-Elemene inhibited the viability of 786-0 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The anti-tumor effect was associated with induction of apoptosis. Further study showed that ${eta}$-elemene inhibited the MAPK/ERK as well as PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathways. Moreover, robust autophagy was observed in cells treated with ${eta}$-elemene. Combined treatment of ${eta}$-elemene with autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine or chlorochine significantly enhanced the anti-tumor effects. Conclusions: Our data provide first evidence that ${eta}$-elemene can inhibit the proliferation of RCC 786-0 cells by inducing apoptosis as well as protective autophagy. The anti-tumor effect was associated with the inhibition of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway. Inhibition of autophagy might be a useful way to enhance the anti-tumor effect of ${eta}$-elemene on 786-0 cells.