RATIONALE: Infliximab may help improve energy levels in patients who have undergone treatment for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well infliximab works in treating fatigue in postmenopausal women who have undergone treatment for stage 0, stage I, or stage II breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the association between the body''''s immune system and energy, sleep, mood, and other symptoms in postmenopausal women who have undergone treatment for stage 0-II breast cancer.
• Determine whether treatment with infliximab affects energy and immune function in these patients.

OUTLINE: Patients receive infliximab IV over 2 hours.

Patients complete a diary twice daily for 14 days before and for 14 days after infliximab administration to assess fatigue and other symptoms, including mood, pain, and sleep.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed at 2 weeks and then monthly for 3 months.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 20 patients will be accrued for this study.

Ages Eligible for Study:  45 Years   -   65 Years,  Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed breast cancer
• Stage 0-II disease
• Diagnosed ≥ 1 year ago
• Completed treatment with surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy for breast cancer ≥ 1 year ago
• Cancer-related fatigue as determined by a standardized interview and a score of ≤ 50 on the energy/fatigue subscale of the SF-36
• No evidence of metastatic or recurrent disease or new primary tumor
• No leukemia
• Hormone receptor status:
• Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age

• 45 to 65

Sex

• Female

Menopausal status

• Postmenopausal, as defined by 1 of the following:
• Prior documented bilateral oophorectomy
• No spontaneous menstrual bleeding for ≥ 12 months
• Age 55 or older AND prior hysterectomy without oophorectomy
• Age 54 or younger AND prior hysterectomy without oophorectomy (or in whom the status of the ovaries is unknown) AND follicle-stimulating hormone level in the postmenopausal range

Performance status

• Not specified

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• No anemia
• No blood disease (e.g., hemophilia or aplastic anemia)

Hepatic

• No hepatitis B or C
• No serious liver disease
• No elevated liver function tests
• Albumin normal

Renal

• No serious kidney disease
• Creatinine ≤ 1.4 mg/dL
• No hematuria

Cardiovascular

• No heart failure
• No history of cardiac events (e.g., stroke or heart attack)

Pulmonary

• No adult asthma requiring regular steroid medication

Immunologic

• No HIV positivity
• No other immune deficiency (e.g., selective immunoglobulin A deficiency)
• No autoimmune disease (e.g., lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or chronic fatigue syndrome)
• No inflammatory disease (e.g., ulcerative colitis or Crohn''''s disease)
• No other chronic and/or current infectious disease (e.g., tuberculosis)

Other

• Not pregnant
• Fasting glucose ≤ 120 mg/dL
• Protein level normal
• No other cancer except skin cancer
• No demyelinating disease (e.g., multiple sclerosis or optic neuritis)
• No insulin-dependent adult diabetes
• No underactive or overactive thyroid that is not controlled by medication
• No abnormal thyroid hormone
• No neurologic disease (e.g., Parkinson''''s, Alzheimer''''s, or seizures)
• No schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder
• No serious peripheral neuropathy
• Not a current smoker
• No major depression or anxiety disorder
• No sleep or pain disorder

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Endocrine therapy

• No concurrent steroids

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics

Other

• More than 2 weeks since prior psychotropic medications (e.g., benzodiazepines or antidepressants)
• No other concurrent immunosuppressive medications
• No concurrent sedatives