7 cases of serous-papillary adenocarcinoma of the endometrium (UPSC) were found in a retrospective study of 80 patients which were treated at the Department of Gynaecology of the University of Munich from August 1987 to December 1989 because of endometrial adenocarcinoma. Characteristic histologic findings and prognostic factors of the UPSC were examined by means of large scale sections of the completely worked-up uteri and compared with the usual adenocarcinoma of the endometrioid type (UEC). Despite only minimal myometrial infiltration in some cases, lymphangiosis carcinomatosa was almost always present (6/7) and more than 50% of patients showed evidence of blood vessel involvement. In all patients with pelvic lymph node dissection metastases were found. According to our results in line with the literature, UPSC is a highly malignant and morphologically distinct variant of endometrial adenocarcinoma without promising treatment to date.