Docetaxel and Cyclophosphamide Compared to Anthracycline-Based Chemotherapy in Treating Women With HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To determine if the docetaxel and cyclophosphamide (TC) regimen is non-inferior to the anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens in terms of invasive disease-free survival (DFS) by combining B-49 data with the docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (TAC) and TC arms of NSABP B-46-I/US Oncology Research, Inc.(USOR) 07132 and the data from USOR 06-090. Secondary * To determine rates of DFS-ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) for the TC and anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens. * To determine rates of overall survival (OS) for the TC and anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens. * To determine rates of recurrence-free interval (RFI) for the TC and anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens. * To evaluate the toxicity associated with each of the regimens. * To determine the role of TOP2A in prognosis and prediction of degree of benefit from anthracycline-based chemotherapy over TC. (exploratory) * To develop predictive markers for benefit from doxorubicin. (exploratory) OUTLINE: This is a multicenter randomized study. Patients are stratified according to number of positive nodes (0 vs 1-3 vs 4-9 vs 10+) and hormone-receptor status (estrogen receptor \[ER\] and/or progesterone receptor \[PgR\] positive vs ER and PgR negative). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.