Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale announces he has vocal cord cancer

Hall of Fame basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer.

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It is the third time that Vitale, 84, has been diagnosed with cancer over the past few years.

Vitale tweeted his announcement after a consultation with Steven Zeitels, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation in Boston, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

On Twitter, Vitale said he plans to “fight like hell to be ready to call games when the college hoops season tips off in the fall.”

“Dr. Z tells me that it has an extremely high cure rate, and that radiation, not more surgery, is the best path,” Vitale tweeted.

Vitale underwent a procedure earlier this week for the removal of vocal cord tissue to determine if it was cancerous, the Times reported. He has been treated for dysplasia, which is non-cancerous tissue, that required him to rest his signature voice for several weeks.

The longtime broadcaster has been treated for melanoma and lymphoma, according to The Associated Press.

In 2021, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma, months after undergoing multiple surgeries to remove melanoma, the Times reported.

He said he was cancer free in April 2022. Vitale rang the ceremonial cancer-free bell in the courtyard at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, according to the newspaper.

Vitale has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network debuted, according to the AP. He called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast.

“I want to say that I have been so touched by the tweets, texts, notes and prayers, and will ask all of you to continue to send positive vibes,” Vitale tweeted Wednesday.