Can I eat sushi during chemotherapy?

This is a good example of why food safety guidance during cancer treatment focuses on well-cooked meat, fish, and eggs. Raw fish, like the kind used in many sushi dishes, carries more food safety risk than thoroughly cooked fish, because cooking kills harmful bacteria that raw food can carry. For people whose treatment lowers infection-fighting white blood cells, that extra risk matters more than it might otherwise.

That said, how much this applies to you depends on your specific treatment and where you are in your treatment cycle — there are times when infection risk is higher than others. Some people's care teams are more cautious about raw or undercooked foods than others, depending on individual blood counts and treatment plans.

Rather than guessing, ask your care team whether raw fish and other raw foods are something to be cautious about right now, and whether that changes at different points during your treatment. They can tell you what's appropriate for your specific situation, which is more reliable than a general rule.