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Dick Vitale announces lymph node cancer diagnosis after previous battles with cancer

Vitale, a legendary college basketball announcer, is a 3-time cancer survivor; he will undergo surgery next week

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 03: College basketball announcer Dick Vitale on air during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game between the Connecticut Huskies and the San Diego State Aztecs at NRG Stadium on April 03, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
College basketball announcer Dick Vitale, pictured on air during the men's national title game of 2023, will undergo surgery in his latest fight against cancer. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Legendary college basketball announcer and three-time cancer survivor Dick Vitale announced that he has cancer again, this time in his lymph nodes.

In a post on social media on Friday, Vitale revealed that a recent biopsy of his lymph node showed that it is cancerous, and that he will undergo surgery next week. He also thanked his family, friends and ESPN colleagues for their support.

"I will win this battle," Vitale wrote in the post. "Surgery on Tues. will be a success. Thanks for All the prayers."

Vitale has been diagnosed with cancer three times before, starting with melanoma in 2021 and then lymphoma a few months later. Vitale made an emotional return to the booth in November 2021, but stepped away in January 2022 due to vocal chord inflammation.

In July 2023, Vitale announced that he had been diagnosed with vocal chord cancer, and underwent radiation treatments before announcing that his vocal chord cancer was gone last November.

Vitale, who turned 85 in June, has provided color commentary for ESPN college basketball games since 1979. He is one of the most iconic broadcasters in the sport, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.