Experts compared a cancer patient's age of death with average life expectancy to estimate the figures.

They say that between 1988-1992 and 2013-2017 about 2.2 million and 2.3 million years were lost respectively.

Lung cancer was the biggest killer, making up more than 500,000 lost years annually.

Bowel cancer accounts for 213,000 years and breast cancer 197,000.

The number of years lost has grown since the 1980s, but researchers say it's due to an increased population.

Cancer rates actually fell 15% over the 30-year period.

One of the biggest fallers was cervical cancer - down from 43,600 cases in 1988 to 21,800 in 2017 - thanks to better screening.

But women who die from it lose a significant number of years (25 on average) because it affects younger people disproportionately, said Cancer Research UK.

Stomach cancer was also down 59%, and breast cancer fell 39%.

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, involved Cancer Research UK, King's College London and Queen Mary University of London.

It used data from the UK Association of Cancer Registries.

In the UK, the four most common cancers are breast, lung, prostate and bowel cancer.

Dr Judith Offman - who led the work at King's College - said the study gives "a different lens to evaluate where health policies and advances in treatment have worked and highlight areas where more needs to be done".

"Research like this is instrumental in helping leaders in health and politics make the best decisions for patients and their loved ones," she added.

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Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said it showed progress was being made in fighting cancer.

"Thanks to NHS efforts a higher proportion of people than ever before are being diagnosed with cancer at an early stage when the disease is easier to treat, and survival is at an all-time high," he said.

He added that "getting checked saves lives" and that people should come forward as early as possible with any concerns.