Hepatoma cells (Hepg2s) as typical cancer cells cultured on hydroxyl (-OH) and methyl (-CH) group surfaces were shown to exhibit different proliferation and morphological changes. Hepg2s cells on -OH surfaces grew much more rapidly than those on -CH surfaces. Hepg2s cells on -OH surfaces had the larger contact area and the more flattened morphology, while those on -CH surfaces exhibited the smaller contact area and the more rounded morphology. After 7 days of culture, the migration of Hepg2s cells into clusters on the -CH surfaces behaved significantly slower than that on the -OH surfaces. These chemically modified surfaces exhibited regulation of Hepg2s cells on proliferation, adhesion, and migration, providing a potential treatment of liver cancer. © 2011 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.