Taking aspirin slashes the risk of cancer for hundreds of thousands of people with an inherited genetic condition, health chiefs have said.

Carriers of Lynch Syndrome, which affects roughly one in 300 people, would gain significant protection against bowel, rectal and colon cancers from the daily pill, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

Roughly four in five who carry the genes develop one of these forms of the disease - known collectively as colorectal cancer.

However, trials have indicated that daily aspirin can cut the risk by up to 60 per cent.

It is the first time Nice, which determines what drugs and treatments must be offered on the NHS, has recommended aspirin as a preventative treatment for cancer.

The blood-thinning drug is not without side-effects, however, including an increased risk of dangerous bleeds.

Although colorectal cancer is the fourth most common form of the disease, it is the second biggest killer, accounting for an average of 44 deaths every day.

Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the Centre for Guidelines at NICE, said: “The independent committee looked at evidence from a multi-country randomised controlled trial, which showed taking daily aspirin for more than two years reduces the risk of colorectal cancer in people with Lynch Syndrome.