Firefighters' secret weapon against cancer? broccoli extract shows promise

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female incumbent firefighters who are current non-smokers. * Age \>= 18 years. * Karnofsky performance scale \>= 70%. * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,000/microliter. * Platelets \>= 100,000/microliter. * Total bilirubin =\< 2 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN). * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)(serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT)(serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2 x ULN. * Creatinine =\< 1.5 x ULN. * Participants on chronic suppressive antiviral therapy for herpes simplex virus (HSV) are eligible. * The effects of BSSE on the developing human fetus at the recommended therapeutic dose are unknown. For this reason, women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her study physician immediately. * Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Exclusion Criteria: * History of invasive cancer within the past 2 years, except for excised and cured non-melanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix. Participants who continue adjuvant treatment for an index cancer occurring \> 2 years ago, such as adjuvant hormonal therapy for breast cancer, are excluded. Participants who are on anti-neoplastic treatment for a chronic malignancy, such as multiple myeloma or chronic myelogenous leukemia, are excluded. * Chronic, current or recent (within the past 2 weeks) use of systemic steroid doses equivalent to prednisone \> 5 mg daily for continued use \> 14 days. Use of inhaled steroids, nasal sprays, and topical creams for small body areas (\< 10% body surface area) is allowed. * Participants may not be receiving any other investigational agents. * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to Avmacol ES (BSSE). * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, serious ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, or cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements. * Pregnant or lactating women. Pregnant women are excluded from this study because the effects of BSSE on the developing human fetus are unknown. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events (AEs) in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with BSSE, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with BSSE. * Participants with known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Participants with HIV, HBV and HCV are excluded from this study because there is no information regarding the impact of anti-viral drugs on the bioavailability of Avmacol ES. Sulforaphane (SF) is known to modulate certain phase 1 and phase 2 enzymes involved in drug metabolism. The potential for SF to alter the metabolism (either by increasing or decreasing) of antiviral therapy could have an effect on the efficacy of the pharmaceuticals to keep viral titers low and the disease under control. Since many of the drugs used in therapies of these viral infections have extensive CYP450 enzymatic impact and BSSE has its own enzymatic properties, there is concern for drug-to-drug interactions. * Ongoing use of any supplements containing active compounds in cruciferous vegetables such as SF and glucoraphanin (GR). The use of supplements related to the study agent may confound the study endpoints. Participant will be eligible if they agree to stop the SF or GR product at least 14 days prior to the baseline visit. * History of allergic reactions to acetaminophen or the formulation ingredients or any other contraindication to acetaminophen use. * Unwilling or unable to refrain from the use of non-study acetaminophen (or acetaminophen containing products) for 72 hours prior to the baseline evaluation of acetaminophen metabolism and for 72 hours prior to the end-of-intervention evaluation of acetaminophen metabolism.