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

You may be eligible if

• 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