SU5416 and Doxorubicin in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB or Stage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed stage IIIB or IV (supraclavicular lymph node involvement or metastasis) inflammatory breast cancer
• * Primary or secondary
• No brain metastases or primary brain tumors
• Hormone receptor status:
• * Not specified
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Sex:
• Male or female
• Menopausal status:
• Not specified
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC at least 3,500/mm\^3
• Granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9.0 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin normal
• AST and ALT less than 2 times upper limit of normal
• PT and PTT normal OR
• INR less than 1.1
• Renal:
• Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min
• Cardiovascular:
• LVEF at least 50% by MUGA
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No uncompensated coronary artery disease
• No myocardial infarction or unstable angina within the past 6 months
• No deep venous or arterial thrombosis within the past 3 months
• Pulmonary:
• No history of pulmonary embolism within the past 3 months
• Other:
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No history of diabetes mellitus with severe peripheral vascular disease
• No other prior or concurrent malignancies within the past 10 years except inactive nonmelanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No other uncontrolled illnesses
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No concurrent epoetin alfa or filgrastim (G-CSF)
• Chemotherapy:
• No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens allowed
• No prior doxorubicin or other anthracycline
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• Prior radiotherapy allowed
• Surgery:
• Not specified