Pyridoxine in Preventing Hand-Foot Syndrome in Patients Who Are Receiving Capecitabine for Advanced Colorectal Cancer or Breast Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of advanced colorectal or breast carcinoma
• * Hormone receptor status not specified
• Receiving single-agent capecitabine chemotherapy
• Measurable disease for response assessment, determined on an individual patient basis, using conventional clinical and/or radiological methods
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Menopausal status not specified
• Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000 mm\^3
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
• ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.3 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 x ULN
• AST and ALT ≤ 5 x ULN
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
• No other serious or uncontrolled illness which, in the opinion of the investigator, makes it undesirable for the patient to enter the trial
• No medical or psychiatric condition which would influence the ability to provide informed consent
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 6 weeks since prior investigational agents
• Concurrent radiotherapy allowed
• No other concurrent chemotherapy or immunotherapy
• No concurrent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs) for the primary purpose of treating hand-foot syndrome (HFS) or cancer
• * NSAIDs for conditions other than HFS or cancer allowed