Bexarotene in Preventing Breast Cancer in Patients at High Risk for Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must be at high risk as defined by a history of breast cancer (invasive or ductal breast carcinoma in situ \[DCIS\]) and be at least 5 years out from diagnosis, or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), or proliferative benign breast disease such atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) or genetic test confirmation of BRCA 1/2 mutation carrier or have a breast cancer risk assessment \>= 1.7% in 5 years or a lifetime risk \>= 20% * No evidence of disease (in situ or invasive cancer that would normally be treated by resection) at trial entry as determined by the investigator; diagnosis of invasive cancer must be at least 5 years prior to initiation on trial * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 1 (Karnofsky \>= 70%) * Leukocytes \>= 3,000/microliter * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/microliter * Platelets \>= 100,000/microliter * Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) * Creatinine =\< 1.5 x institutional ULN * Hemoglobin \>= 10 g/dL * Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) within normal institutional limits * Triglycerides =\< 300 mg/dl * Total cholesterol =\< 300 mg/dl * \>= 6 months from all previous breast cancer treatment (including endocrine therapy) * Particip…