Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and numbers of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were studied by immunohistochemistry and the silver staining technique in 99 meningiomas and related to histopathologic grading, recurrence and their predictive value for recurrence. The results indicated that there was a significant correlation between PCNA or AgNORs and histopathologic grading of meningiomas. Slightly higher expression of PCNA in atypical meningiomas was correlated with the increased recurrence rate; however, expression of PCNA and numbers of AgNORs in meningiomas are not reliable criteria to predict tumor recurrence.