High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Blood Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Primary, Locally Advanced, or Stage IV Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven primary, locally advanced (at least 10 axillary lymph node metastases or T4 or N2, M0 disease), or stage IV breast cancer Patients with at least 10 axillary node metastases and no distant metastases receive adjuvant chemotherapy with a doxorubicin containing regimen Patients with T4 or N2, M0 disease and no prior chemotherapy receive neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy prior to salvage mastectomy (patients must show partial remission based on tumor palpation) Patients with stage IV breast cancer receive induction chemotherapy with doxorubicin (unless relapsed less than 1 year following therapy or metastatic disease progression observed or greater than 300 mg/m2 previously taken, then may receive induction chemotherapy with paclitaxel regimen) Stage IV cancer patients must have at least a partial remission following induction chemotherapy Stage IV cancer patients should have minimal metastatic disease (chest wall recurrence or bone only); patients with more extensive and/or visceral metastases must have near complete remission following induction chemotherapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 16 to 70 Performance Status: SWOG 0-1 Karnofsky 80-100% Life Expectancy: At least 2 months Hematopoietic: Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 2.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (unless tumor related) SGOT and SGPT less than 2.0 times ULN (unless tumor related) Alkaline phosphatase less than 2.0 times ULN (unless tumor related) Renal: Creatinine within institutional normal limits Cardiovascular: Cardiac ventricular ejection fraction (MUGA) or echocardiogram within normal limits prior to high dose chemotherapy No uncontrolled or severe cardiovascular disease No myocardial infarction within 6 months No congestive heart failure No symptomatic angina No life threatening arrhythmias No hypertension Pulmonary: Pulmonary function tests greater than 75% predicted normal Room air arterial blood gases within normal limits Other: Not HIV positive Not hepatitis B surface antigen positive Not hepatitis C antibody positive No serious organ dysfunction (unless caused by breast cancer) No active bacterial, viral, or fungal infections No active peptic ulcers No uncontrolled diabetes Not pregnant Effective contraceptive method must be used during study Negative pregnancy test

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: See Disease Characteristics