The rates of adhesion of melanoma cells (carcinogenic) onto nonionic polymer surfaces were studied by using radioactively labeled cells and measuring the fraction of cells which adhered to the surface in a given time. Glow discharge (plasma) polymerization of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane and of nitrogen-acetylene-water (mole ratio 0.4:1.0:0.2) was used to modify the surface energy of the substrate. The cell adhesion rate was found to be given by Y = 1 - exp [-k0(gammas - gamma0)t], where Y is the fraction of cells adhered, -k0 is a characteristic rate constant, gammas is the total surface energy of the substrate, gamma0 is the threshold surface energy of cell adhesion, and t is time.