This startup (http://www.flatiron.com/) is attempting to create a database of cancer etc. At first I thought that the idea was a bit too ahead of its time but now its value is becoming clearer. Data will be a very powerful part of defeating cancer.
Have tissue samples been stored as well over the decades? I am not sure about DNA preservation over the years, but it might at least give us some ideas of cancer, especially inheritance issues surrounding cancer.