DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed primary adenocarcinoma of the breast

  • Stage I-III disease
  • No evidence of metastatic disease

• Must have undergone lumpectomy or total mastectomy for primary disease within the past 12 weeks, or have completed chemotherapy within the past 8 weeks

  • Axillary evaluation per institutional standards

• Currently receiving or planning to receive standard adjuvant systemic therapy comprising chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or combined chemotherapy/hormonal therapy for breast cancer

  • Patients who are at low risk for disease recurrence and for whom adjuvant systemic therapy will not be prescribed are not eligible
  • Patients who receive biologic agents only or local radiotherapy only (without chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy) are not eligible
  • Additional therapies are allowed including radiotherapy and biologic agents (e.g., trastuzumab [Herceptin^®], bevacizumab, or hematopoietic growth factors)
  • Neoadjuvant therapy is allowed provided study entry occurs after completion of surgery

• Patients with skeletal pain are eligible provided bone scan and/or roentgenological exam are negative for metastatic disease

  • Suspicious findings must be confirmed as benign by x-ray, MRI, or biopsy

• Hormone receptor status:

  • Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Sex

• Female

Menopausal status

• Not specified

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-2

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Not specified

Hepatic

• Not specified

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 30 mL/min
• No renal failure

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

• No history of esophageal stricture or motility disorders

  • Gastroesophageal reflux disorder allowed
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or adequately treated stage I or II cancer in complete remission

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Prior or concurrent hematopoietic growth factors allowed
• HER-2-targeted therapies allowed
• Antiangiogenics allowed

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Endocrine therapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy

• Concurrent radiotherapy to the breast, chest wall, or lymph node group allowed at the discretion of the treating physician

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics

Other

• Prior neoadjuvant therapy allowed
• Prior bisphosphonates for bone density allowed
• No other concurrent bisphosphonates as adjuvant therapy or for treatment of osteoporosis

• No concurrent enrollment in clinical trials with bone density as an endpoint

  • Concurrent enrollment on any other locoregional or systemic therapy breast cancer study (including cooperative group studies) allowed