Havana, June 8 (RHC)-- Mick Phillips, a U.S. lung cancer patient, blasted the U.S. blockade of Cuba for denying U.S. patients' access to effective Cuban cancer medication.

When Mick Phillips was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, in 2010, his odds of survival were not good. A lifelong smoker, the Wisconsin man was in the late stages of the disease that is the top cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

Phillips, 68, was repeatedly treated with radiation and chemotherapy, but his doctor said little more could be done if and when the cancer returned.

That was more than five years ago, and Phillips's cancer has not advanced. His doctor credits Cuba's lung cancer vaccine CIMAvax  for sustaining Phillips's remission.

But being a U.S. resident, Phillips is forbidden from traveling to Cuba or importing the drug under the terms of the U.S. blockade. The U.S. patient travels here to Cuba regularly via Canada to purchase a supply of CIMAvax.

CIMAvax is part of the next generation of cancer treatment called immunotherapy, which is a way of triggering the body's natural defenses to attack cancer cells.