Association between the dietary inflammatory index and all-cause mortality in the U.S. cancer survivors: A prospective cohort study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database

•The study examined the association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and all-cause mortality in U.S. cancer survivors.•It used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2014, including 2359 cancer survivors.•DII scores were calculated based on dietary intake assessed via 24-hour recalls, with higher DII scores indicating a more pro-inflammatory diet.•Over a median follow-up of 62.94 months, there were 474 total deaths among the cancer survivors.•After adjustment for confounders, a more pro-inflammatory diet, as indicated by higher DII scores, was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of all-cause mortality.