ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale has been diagnosed with melanoma in his lung and liver cavity, marking his fifth battle with cancer. He will begin immunotherapy treatment following the confirmation of his biopsy results.
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Famed ESPN broadcaster **** Vitale isĀ facing another battle with cancer.
Vitale said Monday that biopsy results had confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma in his lung and liver cavity, which will have him starting immunotherapy. It marks his fifth battle with cancer, which sidelined him from the airwaves for two years before his return shortly before March Madness in 2025.
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āIāve beaten melanoma,ā the 86-year-old Vitale saidĀ in a statement released by ESPN. āIāve beaten lymphoma. Iāve beaten vocal-cord cancer. Iāve beaten lymph-node cancer. Iām 4 for 4 and Iām fully confident Iām going to make it 5 for 5.ā
Separate from his ESPN statement, VitaleĀ posted on social media MondayĀ that he had gone through 10 days of testing that included scans, MRIs, bloodwork and a biopsy.
āI obviously did not get the report today that I was hoping for when my oncologist called,ā Vitale said, noting he planned on āwinning the battleā and adding: āNow at least I know what I face.ā
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**** Vitale, pictured at a game in November 2025, announced he is facing a fifth battle against cancer. Robin Alam/ISI Photos via Getty Images
Vitale has made himself a fixture in college basketball, earning the affectionate nickname āDickie Vā with his voice and exuberant style offering a soundtrack to some of the biggest moments in the sportās history. Heās inching closer to five decades with ESPN going back to its 1979 launch, armed with a contract through the 2027-28 season as well asĀ the creation of a basketball event named in his honorĀ this past season.
And every step of the way heās quick to tell anyone and everyone how āluckyā he feels to still be working after years of fighting cancer.
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That started in 2021 with melanoma, followed by treatments for lymphoma. There were also chemotherapy treatments, radiation for vocal-cord cancer and surgery by summer 2024 to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck, while he was unable to speak for a time after the vocal-cord surgery, leaving him having to scribble on eraser-board messages to communicate.
Still, Vitale said in his ESPN statement that he feels āfantastic.ā And he quickly turned the focus of his statement to his long-running efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer research, notably withĀ next monthās annual gala in his nameĀ that has raised more than $105 million in its two-decade history.
āAt 86 years young, Iāve lived a hell of a life, and Iām more motivated than ever to raise money for kids battling cancer,ā Vitale said, adding that he hopes to raise $12 million with the 21st ā**** Vitale Galaā set for May 1 in Sarasota, Florida.
Dick Vitale has been diagnosed with melanoma in his lung and liver cavity.
This is Dick Vitale's fifth battle with cancer.
Dick Vitale will start immunotherapy treatment following his diagnosis.
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