TOPLINE:

Physical activity was associated with a reduced risk for all-cause mortality among patients with cutaneous melanoma (CM) or non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), according to a meta-analysis. Post-diagnosis physical activity was associated with stronger survival benefits than pre-diagnosis physical activity.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis including seven studies published between 2017 and 2025; these studies focused on the association between pre- or post-diagnosis physical activity and survival in patients with CM or NMSCs.
• Random-effects models were used to assess overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and non-cancer-specific survival (NCSS).
• Study populations ranged from 251 to 28,418 participants across studies conducted in Norway, Netherlands, the United States, and Sweden, with follow-up durations ranging from 1 to 16 years.

TAKEAWAY:

• Patients with skin cancer who were more physically active demonstrated a 31% lower risk for all-cause mortality than those who were less active (summary hazard ratio [sHR], 0.69; 95% CI, 0.57-0.83).
• CSS showed a 29% reduction in the risk for mortality among patients who were physically active (sHR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57-0.88), whereas NCSS demonstrated a 40% reduction (sHR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.45-0.82).
• Post-diagnosis physical activity was associated with stronger survival benefits (sHR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.48-0.68) than pre-diagnosis physical activity (sHR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.69-0.89), with a statistically significant difference (P for difference = .004).
• Studies using validated physical activity questionnaires showed stronger associations with survival (sHR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.49-0.67) than those using non-validated physical activity questionnaires (sHR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.47-1.18; P for difference = .026).

IN PRACTICE:

"Physical activity may represent a safe, feasible and high-impact intervention that should be integrated into survivorship care for patients with skin cancer in addition to standard treatments," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Alessandra Picelli, Medical Specialization School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, and Aurora Gaeta, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. It was published online on February 19, 2026, in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology.

LIMITATIONS:

The analysis included a moderate number of studies, with most relying on self-reported physical activity measures rather than objective assessments. Randomised controlled trials were absent from the included studies, limiting causal inference. Potential residual confounding by disease stage, comorbidities, treatment modalities, and lifestyle-related factors could not be fully excluded. The heterogeneity between studies, particularly for OS outcomes, suggested variability in study populations and methodologies, which may have affected the generalisability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was partially funded by the Italian Ministry of Health Ricerca Corrente with 5 × 1000 funds. The authors reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.