Popular basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale said he underwent successful surgery to remove a cancerous lymph node in his neck and surrounding areas Tuesday morning at Sarasota Memorial Hospital,
The Lakewood Ranch resident told social media followers his surgeon, head and neck specialist Dr. Peter Vosler, was pleased with how the surgery went.
However, the 85-year-old ESPN analyst said he was “anxious” while waiting to hear the results of the pathology report on the removed tissue.
Vitale announced last week on social media that he has been diagnosed with cancer for a fourth time.
In August 2021, Vitale announced he beat melanoma after several surgeries. About two months later, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and underwent several weeks of chemotherapy at Sarasota Memorial. In April 2022, he announced he was cancer-free.
In June 2023, Vitale required six weeks of radiation treatments after tests revealed he had vocal cord cancer. Vitale again announced he was cancer-free in December 2023, but the radiation created complications that required further surgery.
Vitale announced last week that a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. Until then, he had been resting his vocal cords in anticipation of returning to broadcasting this basketball season.
“Yes, I plan on doing all I can to control to win this 4th battle with this dreaded disease,” he wrote on X. “I plan to THINK POSITIVE AND HAVE FAITH & win this battle.”
THANKS to those that have flooded me with prayers . I was happy to hear my surgeon Dr Volsar say he was able to remove the cancerous lymph nodes in my neck . However I must be honest waiting for the results of lymph nodes sent to PATHOLOGY for analysis scares me 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/EGH2MY9uul
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) July 3, 2024
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