Curcumin and Cholecalciferol in Treating Patients With Previously Untreated Stage 0-II Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Have a diagnosis of CLL based on peripheral blood flow cytometry and/or bone marrow aspiration and biopsy OR diagnosis of SLL based on lymph node or bone marrow biopsy; patients with SLL need to have measurable disease * Performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group \[ECOG\]) 0-2 * Patients must have not received any prior treatment for CLL or SLL * Patients must be stage 0-II based on Rai staging system; must have no indication for treatment for SLL per NCI-WG criteria * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count \>= 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin \>= 10 g/dL * Serum creatinine =\< 2.0 g/dL or calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl) \>= 60mL/min (Cockcroft-Gault method) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =\< 2.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) * Bilirubin \< 2.0 x ULN, unless subject has Gilbert's disease * Calcium \< 10.1 mg/dL (corrected to serum albumin) * Females will be either postmenopausal for at least 1 year or surgically sterile for at least 3 months OR females of child-bearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test at screening and agree to take appropriate precautions to avoid pregnancy (double barrier method of birth control or abstinence) from screening through 3 months after the last dose of treatment * Able to comprehend and willing to sign an Informed Consent Form (ICF) * Subjects must be off any steroids 7 days prior to the initiation of treatment * Subjects must be off any curcumin, tumeric, or vitamin D supplements for 14 days prior to the initiation of treatment * Subjects must be able to take oral medications Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of malignancy (other than the one treated in this study) which required systemic treatment within the past 3 years * Any indication to start treatment for CLL based on NCI-WG criteria * Prior therapy for CLL/SLL * Subjects who are pregnant or breast-feeding; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with curcumin * Concurrent medical condition which may increase the risk of toxicity, including: * Hypercalcemia of any cause * Untreated hyperparathyroidism * Paget's disease of bone * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements as judged by treating physician; subjects receiving antibiotics that are under control may be included in the study * Inability to take oral medications * Patients receiving other investigational agent * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to curcumin or vitamin D or other agents used in this study * Patients on therapeutic anticoagulation, with heparin (or low-molecular weight heparin), warfarin, or a direct thrombin inhibitor as the safety of concurrent administration of curcumin has not been established * Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients on combination antiretroviral therapy are ineligible