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U.S. Urges Cuba To Allow Md. Prisoner To See U.S. Doctor

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration wants an American imprisoned in Cuba to see his personal physician amid concerns he may have a cancerous growth on his shoulder.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says Maryland native Alan Gross should be released. Short of that, she says Gross should be allowed to see a U.S. doctor.

Gross, 63, has been in prison since 2009. He was a U.S. government subcontractor when he was arrested for bringing illegal communications equipment into the country. His case has become a thorn in U.S.-Cuba relations.

Cuba says Gross' health is normal.

But an American physician who reviewed medical records sent by Cuba says Gross may have a cancerous growth. Radiologist Dr. Alan A. Cohen believes the mass appeared months ago and must be presumed cancerous unless proven harmless.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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