Malignant cells shed from tumors during surgical resection or spontaneous metastasis experience physical forces such as shear stress and turbulence within the peritoneal cavity during irrigation, laparoscopic air insufflation, or surgical manipulation, and within the venous or lymphatic system. Since physical forces can activate intracellular signals that modulate the biology of various cell types in vitro, we hypothesized that shear stress and turbulence might increase colon cancer cell adhesion to extracellular matrix, potentiating metastatic implantation. Primary human malignant colon cancer cells isolated from resected tumors and SW620 were subjected to shear stress and turbulence by stirring cells in suspension at 600 rpm for 10 min. Shear stress for 10 min increased subsequent SW620 colon cancer cell adhesion by 40.0 ± 3.0% (n = 3; P < 0.001) and primary cancer cells by 41.0 ± 3.0% to collagen I when compared to control cells. In vitro kinase assay (1.5 ± 0.13 fold) and Western analysis (1.34 ± 0.04 fold) demonstrated a significant increase in Src kinase activity in cells exposed shear stress. Src kinase inhibitors PP1 (0.1 µM), PP2 (20 µM), and actin‐cytoskeleton stabilizer phalloidin (10 µM) prevented the shear stress stimulated cell adhesion to collagen I. Furthermore, PP2 inhibited basal (50.0 ± 2.8%) and prevented shear stress induced src activation but phalloidin pretreatment did not. These results raise the possibility that shear stress and turbulence may stimulate the adhesion of malignant cells shed from colon cancers by a mechanism that requires both actin‐cytoskeletal reorganization an independent physical force activation of Src kinase. Blocking this pathway might reduce tumor metastasis during surgical resection. Published 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.