Donald Morton

Donald Morton was a surgical oncologist who developed the sentinel lymph node biopsy technique for melanoma, one of the most important innovations in cancer staging surgery of the 20th century. He also pioneered BCG immunotherapy for melanoma in the 1970s, foreshadowing modern immunotherapy. His Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial established sentinel node biopsy as standard staging for melanoma. He contributed foundational understanding of cancer-specific tumor antigens and the immune response to cancer. Morton's contributions span both surgical and immunological approaches to cancer and represent pioneering translational oncology.