In another Congressional cliffhanger, only four days remain before the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration take effect across the federal government-unless lawmakers immediately act to avert this looming fiscal crisis.

Reducing funding to cancer research, patient care, and the federal drug safety and review process will have a devastating impact on the more than 13 million Americans who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Posing a triple threat to cancer patients, these cuts-scheduled to take effect this Friday, March 1-will reduce Medicare payments to physicians by 2 percent, and the budgets of the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration by more than 5 percent each.

ASCO is taking the urgent message to prevent these cuts to Capitol Hill through a targeted advertising campaign (see page 10) and urging all ASCO members to immediately contact their Congressional representatives to let them know what cuts of this size will mean for their patients and practices.