Since hepatic accumulation of macrophage-derived 3H-cholesterol at a single time point is influenced in opposite directions by the rates of flux into and out of the liver, we carried out in vitro studies using Fu5AH hepatoma cells to determine whether hepatic uptake of 3H-cholesterol from acute phase plasma was significantly different compared to control and the extent to which SAA might impact such uptake. This evidence concerns the gene SAA1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.