Physical activity and cancer survival: the role of peripheral blood immune and inflammatory markers in reducing mortality—a retrospective cohort study based on NHANES 1999–2018

Although physical activity is recommended by major clinical guidelines to improve quality of life during cancer treatment, evidence regarding its association with survival—particularly cancer-specific and cardiovascular mortality—remains limited. Moreover, whether peripheral blood immune and inflammatory markers (PBIMs) might help explain this association has not been adequately explored in large, real-world cancer survivor populations. This study aimed to examine the associations between physical activity and all-cause, cancer-specific, and cardiovascular mortality in cancer survivors, and to explore the potential role of PBIMs in these associations.