Eflornithine and Sulindac in Preventing Colorectal Cancer in Patients With Colon Polyps

Inclusion Criteria

• •Criteria:
• •History of \>= 1 surgically resected adenomatous polyp of the colon measuring \>= 3 mm within the past 5 years
• •Screening colonoscopy performed within the past 6 months
• •All polyps must have been removed during colonoscopy, pathologically examined, and archived
• •No prior surgical resection removing \> 40 cm of the colon
• •No personal or family history of familial polyposis or hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer
• •SWOG 0-1
• •Bilirubin =\< 2.0 mg/dL
• •AST and ALT =\< 2 times normal
• •Creatinine =\< 1.5 mg/dL
• •Urine protein =\<, urine casts 0-3, urine WBC and RBC count 0-5 cells by urinalysis
• •No history of inflammatory bowel disease
• •No gastric or duodenal ulcers within the past 12 months
• •Gastric or duodenal ulcers that were adequately treated \> 24 months ago are allowed
• •No symptomatic gastric or duodenal ulcers
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Must have regional geographic stability over the next 36 months
• •Pure tone audiometry evaluation normal
• •Patients with \>= 20 dB of uncorrectable hearing loss (for age) of any 2 contiguous frequencies are not allowed
• •No invasive malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer, level I (or Breslow \< 0.76 mm) cutaneous melanoma, Duke's A colon cancer, stage I cervical cancer, or stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• •No severe metabolic disorder
• •No other significant acute or chronic disease that would preclude study participation
• •No history of abnormal wound healing or repair
• •No conditions that would confer risk of abnormal wound healing or repair
• •No history of allergy to NSAIDs or eflornithine
• •No concurrent chemotherapy
• •No concurrent corticosteroids on a regular or predictable intermittent basis
• •No concurrent radiotherapy
• •Concurrent calcium supplements (=\< 1,000 mg/day) allowed
• •Concurrent lipid-lowering drugs (i.e., high-dose statins) allowed
• •No other concurrent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on a regular or predictable intermittent basis
• •Concurrent aspirin for cardiovascular prophylaxis (i.e., 81 mg/day) allowed
• •No concurrent anticoagulants on a regular or predictable intermittent basis
• •No concurrent treatment for gastric or duodenal ulcers