Docetaxel Followed by Surgery in Treating Women With Stage II or Stage III Breast Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Inclusion:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed invasive carcinoma of the breast by core biopsy
• Tumor ≥ 2 cm in greatest dimension(may be either node positive or node negative disease
• Patients with non-metastatic breast cancer who are in the judgment of the treating medical oncologist considered to be of sufficiently high risk to warrant adjuvant chemotherapy
• * Patients with internal mammary, supraclavicular and/or axillary node involvement are eligible. Patients with inflammatory breast cancer are eligible
• * Patients with T0 disease but palpable and measurable adenopathy are eligible for this trial. All sites of disease should be noted and followed
• Hormone receptor status:
• * Not specified
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-1
• Menopausal status not specified
• Female ≥ 18 years old
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin normal
• Alkaline phosphatase (AP), AST, and ALT meeting 1 of the following criteria:
• * AP normal AND AST or ALT ≤ 5 times ULN
• * AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND AST or ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• * AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST or ALT normal
• Women of child-bearing potential, must have a negative serum pregnancy test and must use effective contraception for the duration of the study and for at least 6 months after completion of study treatment
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• At least 1 year since prior tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention
• Exclusion:
• Prior radiotherapy to the ipsilateral breast
• * Patients who have had radiation to the contralateral breast are eligible
• Evidence of distant metastatic disease (i.e., lung, liver, bone, brain)
• Pregnant of breastfeeding
• Patients who have congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, or other significant heart disease, or who have had a myocardial infarction within the past year
• Patients with \> grade 1 peripheral neuropathy
• Patients with a history of hypersensitivity reaction to products containing polysorbate 80 (Tween 80)
• Patients receiving an investigational anticancer drug within 3 weeks of registration
• Patients with serious medical illness that in the judgment of the treating physician, places the patient at risk.