Dick Vitale Reports Immunotherapy Effectively 'Wiping Out' Cancer in Fifth Diagnosis
Key Insights
Longtime ESPN (search) college basketball announcer Dick Vitale, 87, reports his bloodwork came back "very good" amid his fifth cancer diagnosis.
Vitale stated that immunotherapy treatments are proving "very effective in wiping out the cancer," according to his social media update.
Vitale was first diagnosed with melanoma (search) in 2021 and has since faced lymphoma (search), vocal cord cancer (search), and lymph node cancer (search).
Longtime ESPN (search) college basketball announcer Dick Vitale is making encouraging progress in his latest battle with cancer, sharing that his recent bloodwork returned "very good" results and that immunotherapy is proving highly effective against the disease. The 87-year-old broadcaster, who announced his fifth cancer diagnosis in April, provided the update via social media on Wednesday.
Vitale stated that the immunotherapy treatments he has been receiving "are very effective in wiping out the cancer," offering a hopeful signal in what has been a years-long, recurring fight against multiple forms of the disease.
A Prolonged Battle with Multiple Cancer Types
Vitale's journey with cancer began in 2021, when he first revealed a diagnosis of melanoma (search). Months later, he disclosed that he had also been diagnosed with lymphoma (search). After a period of treatment, he was eventually deemed cancer-free.
However, in 2023, Vitale announced he had developed vocal cord cancer (search). The following year, in 2024, he was diagnosed with lymph node cancer (search) and underwent surgery to have his lymph nodes removed shortly after that announcement.
In 2025, Vitale was again declared cancer-free and expressed his intention to return to broadcasting games. He did make a few appearances on ESPN (search), eventually calling a game alongside Charles Barkley. His latest cancer diagnosis — his fifth — was announced in April, though the specific cancer type was not detailed in the recent update.
Immunotherapy at the Center of Treatment
The positive bloodwork results and Vitale's characterization of immunotherapy as "very effective" underscore the central role immunotherapeutic approaches have played in his treatment regimen. Immunotherapy, which harnesses the body's own immune system to identify and attack cancer cells, has become an increasingly important modality across multiple cancer types.
Vitale made no declaration about returning to broadcasting in his Wednesday announcement, though the favorable trajectory of his recovery could potentially pave the way for another return to the airwaves in the future.
Advocacy and Recognition
Beyond his broadcasting career, Vitale has been a prominent advocate for cancer research. He received the Jimmy V Award for perseverance in 2022, an honor named for his close friend, the late college basketball coach Jim Valvano, who died from adenocarcinoma (search) in 1993. Vitale has worked for years to raise money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research (search), which Valvano helped found before his death.