Drinking 'extra hot' tea and coffee could significantly increase the risk of developing deadly oesophageal cancer, a major study suggests.Scientists found people who regularly consumed drinks at above 65C were three times more likely to develop the disease than those who drank them at slightly cooler temperatures.Meanwhile, consuming more than six hot drinks a day was linked to a 71 per cent higher risk of the cancer compared with drinking none – regardless of temperature.The team, from the University of Oxford, specifically linked the beverages, consumed by millions of Britons every day, to oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma – one of the most aggressive forms of the disease which accounts for more than 3,000 new cases each year in the UK.Studies suggest that around a fifth of oesophageal cancer patients are still alive five years after diagnosis, in part because the disease is often discovered at a late stage.The researchers estimated that around 14 per cent of cases diagnosed in Britain each year could be prevented if people allowed hot drinks to cool before consuming them.Experts said the findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that regularly drinking very hot beverages may contribute to the development of oesophageal cancer. It's believed the heat from the beverages damages the cells at the top of the food pipe, where the cancer is found. Drinking 'extra hot' tea and coffee could significantly increase your risk of deadly oesophageal cancer , a major study suggests'While the risk of being diagnosed with this cancer remains relatively low in the UK, this research does add to the evidence that drinking very hot drinks could increase the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma,' said Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study.'There is however a simple step people can take – let a cuppa cool down a little before taking a sip.'The Oxford University scientists analysed data from almost 980,000 UK adults who were followed for more than a decade.Participants reported how hot they preferred their drinks – 'warm', 'hot' or 'very hot' – and how many they consumed each day.The researchers then compared this with cancer diagnoses, taking into account other risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and obesity.During the study, 2,348 people developed oesophageal cancer, including 1,045 cases of SCC.Those who preferred 'hot' drinks were 1.7 times more likely to develop SCC than those who drank them 'warm', while the risk was more than three times higher among those who preferred them 'very hot'.No increased risk was seen for adenocarcinoma, the other main type of oesophageal cancer.