Defined Green Tea Catechin Extract in Treating Women With Hormone Receptor Negative Stage I-III Breast Cancer

Criteria:

History of histologically confirmed stage I, II, or III breast carcinoma without evidence of disease at study entry
No evidence of recurrent disease (patients with resected local recurrence are eligible)
Normal mammogram of the contralateral breast within the past 12 months, defined as no new suspicious calcifications or other abnormal findings warranting a breast biopsy
No history of histologically confirmed bilateral breast cancer
No evidence of metastatic breast cancer
Registered in the outpatient medical oncology clinic at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), or the Weill-Cornell campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYP-WC)
Hormone receptor status: Estrogen- and progesterone-receptor negative
Menopausal status: Pre- or postmenopausal
ECOG performance status < 2 (Karnofsky > 60%)
Leukocytes >= 3,000/uL
Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/uL
Platelets >= 100,000/uL
Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits
AST/ALT =< 2.5 times institutional upper limit of normal
Serum creatinine within normal institutional limits
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation
No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to green tea extract (Polyphenon E), such as green tea food products or supplements containing EGCG
No history of gastrointestinal bleeding including, but not limited to, any of the following: Diverticulosis; Peptic ulcer disease; Erosive gastritis; Varices
No uncontrolled or significant co-morbid illness including, but not limited to, any of the following: active or serious infection requiring intravenous antibiotics; symptomatic congestive heart failure; unstable angina pectoris; cardiac arrhythmia; active gastrointestinal bleeding; active liver disease; psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
No active malignancy, except for squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; basal cell carcinoma of the skin; carcinoma in situ; stage IA or IB invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated by surgery and/or radiation therapy; or stage IA grade 1 adenocarcinoma of the endometrium treated by surgery
At least 6 months since prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or breast surgery
No prior radiation therapy or implant in the contralateral breast
More than 30 days since prior and no concurrent medications, herbs, or vitamin and mineral supplements that contain tea compounds or caffeine
At least 30 days since prior and no other concurrent investigational agents
At least 30 days since prior and no concurrent tea consumption
Willing to limit regular coffee consumption to =< three 8-ounce cups per day for 30 days prior to baseline evaluation and during the study intervention
Total daily caffeine consumption should not exceed 375 mg/day
No concurrent hormone replacement therapy, tamoxifen, or raloxifene
Concurrent oral contraceptives allowed provided the dose has not been changed for at least 6 months prior to study entry
No concurrent chemotherapy or radiation therapy