TI - 4E binding protein 1 expression is inversely correlated to the progression of gastrointestinal cancers . AB - Several components of the eukaryotic protein synthesis apparatus have been associated with oncogenic transformation of cells . Overexpression of the initiation factor eIF4E occurs in a variety of human tumours . The aim of this study was to determine the level of expression and the phosphorylation state of eIF4E and 4E-binding protein 1 ( 4E-BP1 ) in gastrointestinal cancer , and to ascertain whether or not these factors can be used as diagnostic or prognostic markers within this type of cancer . The eIF4E levels were significantly higher in tumours compared with normal tissue ( 51. 5+/-4.4 vs 30.9+/-2.5 arbitrary units ( A.U. ) /mg of protein , p&lt ; 0.001 ) . However , phosphorylated eIF4E did not change in stomach cancers and decreased in colorectal cancers ( 67.1+/-1.2 vs 60.8+/-2.8% , p&lt ; 0.05 ) . 4E-BP1 expression increased in most of the gastrointestinal cancers studied . In addition , an inverse correlation between 4E-BP1 elevation and N and M stage/NNs was found , showing significant higher elevation of 4E-BP1 in Node-negative patients ( 11.21+/-5.74 vs 4. 03+/-2.36 n-fold , p&lt ; 0.05 ) as well as in patients without distant metastasis ( 8.41+/-3.29 vs 0.97+/-0.35 n-fold , p&lt ; 0.05 ) . These results suggest that 4E-BP1 could function as a tumour suppressor . Moreover , the data show a significant dephosphorylation of 4E-BP1 in gastrointestinal tumours that correlated with an increase in the association of 4E-BP1 and eIF4E indicating a lower availability to eIF4E to recruit to the ribosomes . Our results support a possible role of 4E-BP1 as a prognostic factor in gastrointestinal carcinoma .