Green tea could be the key to dramatically extending the lives of women with ovarian cancer, a study has revealed.

Following up a previous study that showed green tea helped prevent ovarian cancer, researchers at Perth's Curtin University of Technology examined 254 Chinese women with the potentially fatal disease.

The study found that women who drank green tea had half the risk of dying of the cancer than non-tea drinkers.

It also showed women who drank the tea regularly had their risk of dying of ovarian cancer reduced by 60%.

The study, by associate professor Andy Lee, professor Colin Binns and Min Zhang, recommended consuming at least one cup of green tea each day to make the most of its preventative and growth-retarding effect on cancerous cells.

About 1,200 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, while an average of 800 women a year die from the disease.