Dick Vitale announces new cancer diagnosis, upcoming surgery

After previously announcing he was cancer-free, ESPN personality Dick Vitale announced a new update. A lymph node on his neck showed signs of cancer, and he has surgery coming up next week.

“My report on the Biopsy of the Lymph Node in my neck has arrived & it is cancerous,” Vitale wrote. “With all the [prayers] I have received & the loving support of my family, friends & @espn colleagues I will win this battle. [Prayers] surgery on Tues. will be a success. Thanks for All the prayers.”

Vitale previously beat vocal cord cancer after learning of that diagnosis last summer and missing the 2023-24 season as a result. He also announced his plans to return to the broadcast table in November for the 2024-25 season.

Earlier this week, Vitale said a scan showed a benign lymph node on his neck earlier this week and said his goal was still to don the headset once again this season. However, this new update means the longtime ESPN analyst is again dealing with cancer.

“Today we had a very eventful day starting at 7:30 in the morning with an examination and a scoping of my vocal cords,” Vitale posted on Facebook. “I had a 4 hour major surgery on my vocal cords about 6 weeks ago. Today was to see how I am recovering from the surgery after dealing with cancer on my vocal cords plus the 35 radiation treatments.

“In all, the news was very positive and Dr Zeitals said the healing process is much better than he anticipated. He now has granted me permission to resume talking but I must be in control & be careful to not overdue it. His goal is that I should be ready to do games on ESPN at the start of the new season in November, 2024.”

In July 2023, Vitale announced his vocal cord cancer diagnosis just before the ESPYS, one year after he accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and gave a heartfelt speech calling on people to help contribute to cancer research.

Dick Vitale has been a staple at ESPN since joining the network 43 years ago. He coached at the college level as an assistant at Rutgers and served as Detroit Mercy’s head coach from 1973-77. Vitale served as the Detroit Pistons head coach from 1978-79 before he got a microphone in his hand, eventually becoming one of the most beloved figures in college basketball.