Sunitinib in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Stage II or Stage III Breast Cancer That Can Be Removed by Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed breast cancer

  * Newly diagnosed disease
  * Stage II-IIIA (T1c, T2, or T3) disease
  * Unifocal disease
  * Resectable disease
* Tumor must be suitable for multiple biopsies and imaging
* No prior breast cancer
* Hormone receptor status not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Male or female
* Menopausal status not specified
* ECOG performance status 0-1
* Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
* Creatinine normal
* Calcium ≤ 3 mmol/L
* Bilirubin normal
* ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No other malignancies except adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer, curatively treated in situ cancer of the cervix, or other solid tumors curatively treated with no evidence of disease for ≥ 5 years
* No QTc prolongation (defined as a QTc interval ≥ 500 msec) or other significant ECG abnormalities
* No history of serious ventricular arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation ≥ 3 beats in a row)
* No prior or concurrent NYHA class II-IV cardiovascular disease
* No inadequately controlled hypertension (systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mm Hg)
* No myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmia, stable or unstable angina, symptomatic congestive heart failure, or coronary/peripheral artery bypass graft or stenting within the past 12 months
* No pulmonary embolism within the past 12 months
* No cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack within the past 12 months
* No serious illness or medical condition that would preclude study compliance including, but not limited to, the following:

  * History of significant neurologic or psychiatric disorder
  * Active uncontrolled infection
  * Serious or nonhealing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture
* No medical condition that could interfere with oral medication intake (e.g., frequent vomiting, malabsorption)
* No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds with similar chemical composition to sunitinib malate
* No preexisting hypothyroidism unless patient is euthyroid on medication

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* At least 7 days since prior and no concurrent CYP3A4 inhibitors, including the following:

  * Azole antifungals (ketoconazole, miconazole)
  * Verapamil
  * Clarithromycin
  * HIV protease inhibitors (indinavir, saquinavir, ritonavir, atazanavir, nelfinavir)
  * Erythromycin
  * Delavirdine
  * Diltiazem
* At least 12 days since prior and no concurrent CYP3A4 inducers, including the following:

  * Rifampin
  * Phenytoin
  * Rifabutin
  * Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
  * Carbamazepine
  * Efavirenz
  * Pentobarbital
  * Tipranavir
  * Phenobarbital
* No prior protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor
* No prior antiangiogenic agent
* No prior hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, investigational therapy, or other therapy for breast cancer
* At least 12 days since prior and no concurrent cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (e.g., etoricoxib, valdecoxib, celecoxib, dual cyclooxygenase/lipid oxidation, and lumiracoxib)
* No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
* No concurrent agents with proarrhythmic potential (e.g., terfenadine, quinidine, procainamide, disopyramide, sotalol, probucol, bepridil, haloperidol, risperidone, indapamide, and flecainide)
* No other concurrent treatment for breast cancer
* No concurrent coumadin-derivative anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin)

  * Anticoagulants at ≤ 2 mg/day for prophylaxis of thrombosis allowed
  * Low molecular weight heparin allowed provided INR ≤ 1.5