This study was aimed to compare the expression level of eIF4E in patients with leukemia and normal controls, and to explore its role in leukemogenesis. White blood cells were collected in 76 leukemia patients and 10 healthy volunteers. The mRNA and protein expressions of eIF4E were detected by QT-PCR and Western blot in 39 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 15 cases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), 22 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and 10 healthy volunteers as normal controls. The results demonstrated that compared with normal controls, the absolute expression levels of eIF4E mRNA increased in patients with AML, ALL and CML in blastic phase (P < 0.05), but had no significant change between groups of CML in chronic and accelerated phase although some increasing in group of CML in accelerated phase. The relative expression level of eIF4E mRNA had no significant change in AML, ALL, CML groups except the two subtypes of leukemia M4 and M5. Furthermore, the protein expression level in group of CML in accelerated phase and blastic phase and all acute leukemia patients including AML and ALL were higher than that in normal controls (P < 0.05). It is concluded that although its mRNA relative expressions had no significant change in most leukemia patients, the absolute expression level of eIF4E mRNA and its protein expression is up-regulated in most leukemia patients, which may play an important role in leukemogenesis, so the eIF4E may be a promising target for leukemia therapy and eIF4E-targeted therapy may be an option especially for the relapse and refractory leukemia.