ESPN's Dick Vitale announces that he's been diagnosed with cancer for a fifth time

Dick Vitale returned to the broadcast booth this college basketball season after previously being declared cancer-free.

(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)

Legendary ESPN college basketball announcer Dick Vitale announced on Monday that he has been diagnosed with cancer for a fifth time.

Vitale made the announcement via a statement shared by ESPN.

“Today, my oncologist, Dr. Brown, informed me that my biopsy results have confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma in my lung and liver cavity,” Vitale said, per the statement. “I will be starting immunotherapy shortly and plan on winning this battle.”

Vitale, 86, initially announced last week that imaging had revealed abnormalities that prompted his doctors to conduct biopsies.

“Like countless others, each time I go for any kind of test I am a nervous wreck,” Vitale said via a statement shared on April 8. “The latest example is my scans last week. The anxiousness you feel about the uncertainty is off the charts. You just never know what’s next, and it can be surprising or scary.”

Vitale’s previous battles with cancer

Vitale has previously been diagnosed with cancer four times. He’s recovered and been declared cancer-free each time. Vitale has openly shared his diagnoses and journeys battling cancer with the public.

Through his diagnoses, Vitale raised awareness for cancer research and said on Monday that those efforts have helped raise $105 million for pediatric cancer research. He hopes to raise another $12 million by May 1.

Vitale was initially diagnosed with melanoma in 2021 and revealed months later that he had also been diagnosed with lymphoma. After being declared cancer-free, Vitale revealed in 2023 that he’d been diagnosed with cancer in his vocal cords.

In 2024, he revealed that he’d also been diagnosed with lymph node cancer. He had surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes days later.

Vitale’s return to the broadcast booth

In January 2025, Vitale announced that his doctors had again declared him as cancer-free and cleared him to return to calling games. He returned to the broadcast booth in a limited role during the college basketball season, calling several high-profile games for ESPN and Turner Sports.

He called a matchup between Indiana and Kentucky in December on ESPN alongside Charles Barkley, then called a First Four matchup between Texas and NC State last month, again with Barkley. He also worked various games throughout the season for ESPN.

In his announcement Monday, Vitale expressed confidence that he’ll beat cancer yet again.

“I’ve beaten melanoma. I’ve beaten lymphoma. I’ve beaten vocal cord cancer. I’ve beaten lymph node cancer. I’m four for four and I’m fully confident I’m going to make it five for five.”