OGX-011 and Docetaxel in Treating Women With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed breast cancer

  * Metastatic or locally advanced disease
  * Not curable with standard therapy
* Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan

  * Lesion must be outside of the previously irradiated field

    * If the sole site of disease is in a previously irradiated field, there must be evidence of disease progression or new lesions in the irradiated field
* No known CNS metastases
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Sex

* Female

Menopausal status

* Not specified

Performance status

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

* At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* PTT, PT, and INR normal
* No known bleeding disorder

Hepatic

* Bilirubin normal
* AST and ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

Renal

* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

* No significant cardiac dysfunction

Immunologic

* No active uncontrolled infection
* No history of serious allergic reaction to taxanes, including paclitaxel or docetaxel

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No preexisting neuropathy ≥ grade 2
* No other malignancies within the past 5 years except adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No other serious medical condition or illness that would preclude study participation
* No significant neurological disorder that would preclude giving informed consent

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Prior trastuzumab (Herceptin\^®) allowed

Chemotherapy

* Recovered from prior chemotherapy
* At least 6 months since prior adjuvant chemotherapy (taxanes allowed)
* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy for advanced disease

  * No prior taxanes for advanced disease
* No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for advanced disease
* No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* At least 1 week since prior hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

  * Low-dose, nonmyelosuppressive radiotherapy allowed within 4 weeks before study entry at the discretion of the investigator
* No prior radiotherapy ≥ 30% of functioning bone marrow
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

* At least 3 weeks since prior major surgery and recovered (wound healing must have occurred)

Other

* More than 4 weeks since prior investigational agents or new anticancer therapy
* No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation therapy except low-dose oral anticoagulant therapy (i.e., 1 mg of oral warfarin once a day) or low molecular weight heparin
* No other concurrent investigational therapy
* No other concurrent cytotoxic therapy