Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Early Stage Breast Cancer That Has Been Removed By Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histological diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma

  * Cytological proof of malignancy alone is not sufficient
  * Early stage disease (T0-3, N0-2, M0) without clinical suspicion or evidence of distant metastases on routine staging
  * No locally advanced breast cancer (T4 and/or N3 disease)
* Completely resected disease by breast-conserving surgery with axillary node clearance or modified radical mastectomy within the past 4-8 weeks

  * Negative surgical margins required, unless either of the following are true:

    * Deep surgical margins after full thickness resection
    * Noninvasive cancer at surgical margins for which a mastectomy is planned after completion of study chemotherapy
  * No contraindication for or refusal of postoperative radiotherapy in patients who underwent prior breast-conserving surgery
* Definite indication for adjuvant chemotherapy
* No prior or current invasive breast cancer or bilateral breast cancer

  * Prior surgically-treated ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ allowed
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Estrogen receptor- and/or progesterone receptor-positive or -negative tumor

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Sex: male or female
* Menopausal status: premenopausal or postmenopausal
* No previous malignancy except basal cell carcinoma, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or any cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for 10 years and for which treatment consisted solely of resection
* ECOG status 0 or 1
* Hemoglobin \> 9 g/dL
* WBC \> 3,000/mm³
* Platelet count \> 10,000/mm³
* Bilirubin normal (unless due to known Gilbert's disease)
* AST and ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Albumin normal
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
* Creatinine clearance \> 50 mL/min
* No active, uncontrolled infection
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No concurrent medical, psychiatric, or geographic problems that might prevent completion of treatment or follow-up
* Available for a minimum of 5 years' follow-up
* No known serious viral infection such as active hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV
* No significant cardiac disease, such as impaired left ventricular function or active angina requiring regular anti-anginal medication and/or resulting in restricted physical activity
* No history of significant renal impairment or disease

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No simultaneous participation in the active intervention phase of another treatment trial
* Not being approached or recruited for another trial within 2 months of study entry
* No previous chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or radiotherapy for the treatment of pre-invasive or invasive cancer except for either of the following:

  * Previous radiotherapy for basal cell carcinoma
  * Previous preoperative endocrine therapy, provided there was no evidence of progression during this therapy, it lasted for less than 6 weeks in duration, and it was stopped at least one month prior to trial entry
* Concurrent luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog therapy allowed for premenopausal patients
* More than 4 weeks since prior hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or pre-operative endocrine therapy
* No prior breast conserving surgery if there is a contradiction for or refusal of postoperative radiotherapy