Arsenic Trioxide in Treating Women With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed breast cancer, meeting 1 of the following criteria: Locally advanced disease Cannot be adequately treated by radiotherapy or surgery Metastatic disease Ineligible for OR received prior anthracycline- and/or taxane-based chemotherapy with subsequent disease progression No uncontrolled Central Nervous System (CNS) metastases Ineligible for treatment protocols of higher priority Hormone receptor status: Not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age 18 and over Sex Female Menopausal status Not specified Performance status Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-1 OR Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) 0-1 OR Zubrod 0-1 Life expectancy At least 12 weeks Hematopoietic Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm^3 Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm^3 Hepatic Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times normal Serum Glutamic Oxalacetic Transaminase (SGOT)/Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (SGPT) no greater than 3 times normal Renal Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL Calcium no greater than 12 mg/dL Cardiovascular Cardiac ejection fraction greater than 50% No myocardial infarction or ischemia within the past 6 months No uncontrolled clinically significant dysrhythmia Other Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use effective contraception Electrolytes normal Magnesium normal No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix No prior or ongoing grade 2-4 peripheral neuropathy No comorbid condition that would render the patient at high risk from study treatment complications PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy No concurrent cytokine therapy Chemotherapy See Disease Characteristics No more than 3 prior chemotherapy regimens for breast cancer No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy Not specified Radiotherapy More than 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy No prior radiotherapy to an indicator lesion unless there is objective evidence of tumor growth in that lesion No concurrent radiotherapy except for the following: Palliative or emergent radiotherapy Local consolidative radiotherapy Surgery More than 2 weeks since prior surgery Concurrent local consolidative surgery allowed Other At least 4 weeks since prior antineoplastic agents for nonmalignant conditions (e.g., methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis) No concurrent antineoplastic agents for nonmalignant conditions No concurrent participation in another treatment protocol Concurrent local palliative therapy allowed