Long-term aspirin use reduces the risk of developing many cancers, a major study has shown.

Chinese researchers followed the progress of more than 600,000 people in the largest study to date looking at the link between cancer and aspirin.

They found that people who had taken the drug every day for an average of seven years were 47 per cent less likely to develop liver or oesophageal cancer and 38 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with gastric cancer.

They were also 34 per cent less likely to develop pancreatic cancer, and had a 24 per cent reduced risk of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

"The findings demonstrate that the long-term use of aspirin can reduce the risk of developing many major cancers,” said lead researcher Professor Kelvin Tsoi from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"What should be noted is the significance of the results for cancers within the digestive tract, where the reductions in cancer incidence were all very substantial, especially for liver and oesophageal cancer."