Introduction. Malignant neoplasms are the second cause of death among women after cardiovascular diseases. Ovarian cancer is the fourth cancer cause of mortality. Diagnosis of the disease at an advanced stage means that the chances of survival in this condition are small. The presentation of women's awareness of ovarian cancer and the methods of its early detection will allow the implementation of measures to improve the detection and treatment of this pathology. Aim. The aim is to assess the level of knowledge of women about ovarian cancer, including risk factors, causes, symptoms and prophylaxis. Material and methods. The study was conducted in the months of January-March 2018 among randomly selected 100 patients of the General and Oncological Surgery Ward and the hospital surgical outpatient clinic of the Wolski Hospital.The examined women were aged 35-80. They were not treated for cancer of female organs. The statistical analysis of the results was carried out using the IBM SPSS® version 24 and Microsoft Offi ce Excel 2007 packages. Results. During the last year, 24% (n = 24) of respondents did not receive information about ovarian cancer. The consciousness of the subjects is very good in the area of causes of ovarian cancer. A group of 67% (n = 67) of respondents claim that this cancer is genetic. 65% (n = 65) believe that ovarian cancer does not give early symptoms. Insuffi cient level of knowledge was presented in the area of factors that increase the risk of ovarian cancer. According to 64% (n = 64) women, a visit to the gynecologist should be made once a year. Conclusions. The knowledge of women who are at risk of developing ovarian cancer on this pathology is inadequate. Despite the declaration of the majority of surveyed women that they are undergoing a control visit at the gynecologist once a year, consultations do not constitute a signifi cant source of knowledge about ovarian cancer. The intensifi cation of educational activities at the level of gynecological counseling should be considered.

Key words: ovarian cancer, women's knowledge, prophylaxis.