Combination Chemotherapy Followed By Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer

You may be eligible if

• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Physiologic 60 and under Menopausal status: Not specified Performance status: ECOG 0 or 1 Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 Hemoglobin at least 8.0 g/dL Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 2.5 times normal unless due to Gilbert's syndrome SGOT or SGPT less than 2.5 times normal Alkaline phosphatase less than 2.5 times normal If hepatitis C antibody positive, then liver function must be normal OR liver dysfunction must be due to metastatic disease and not chronic hepatitis Renal: Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL OR Creatinine clearance greater than 50 mL/min Cardiovascular: LVEF at least 50% unless cleared by cardiologist No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months No significant arrhythmia requiring medications No congestive heart failure Pulmonary: DLCO at least 50% predicted FEV1 and/or FVC at least 75% predicted unless due to neoplastic pulmonary involvement No serious nonneoplastic pulmonary disease (severe chronic obstructive lung disease) that would preclude study therapy Other: HIV negative Hepatitis B and C surface antigen negative No active serious medical condition that would preclude study therapy No allergy to Cremophor Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: No more than 3 prior treatment regimens for metastatic disease Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: See Disease Characteristics Prior conventional dose chemotherapy as adjuvant or as treatment for advanced disease allowed Prior doxorubicin greater than 450 mg/m2 allowed if dexrazoxane was used to reduce risk of cardiotoxicity At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: No prior radiotherapy to indicator lesions At least 3 weeks since other prior radiotherapy Surgery: See Disease Characteristics At least 3 weeks since prior surgery