Cisplatin, Paclitaxel, and Everolimus in Treating Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed invasive mammary carcinoma

  * Stage IV disease
* No locally recurrent breast cancer
* Patients with HER2/neu overexpressing tumors must have received prior trastuzumab (Herceptin®) in first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer
* Patients with estrogen receptor- or progesterone receptor-expressing tumors must have received prior endocrine therapy (i.e., aromatase inhibitors, fulvestrant, tamoxifen, or ovarian ablation) in first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer
* No symptomatic brain metastases

  * Patients with a history of brain metastases must be clinically stable and not taking steroids or therapeutic anticonvulsants that are CYP3A4 modifiers
  * Patients with asymptomatic brain metastases on prophylactic convulsants that are CYP3A4 modifiers are not eligible
* Hormone receptor status not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Menopausal status not specified
* ECOG performance status 0-1
* Life expectancy ≥ 6 months
* ANC ≥ 1000/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN (3 times ULN if liver metastasis present)
* SGOT and SGPT ≤ 1.5 times ULN (3 times ULN if liver metastasis present)
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 3 times ULN if liver metastasis present
* Able to swallow and retain oral medication
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
* Must be disease-free from prior invasive cancers for \> 5 years with the exception of completely resected basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or successfully treated cervical carcinoma in situ
* No malabsorption syndrome, disease significantly affecting gastrointestinal function, or ulcerative colitis
* No uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to:

  * Ongoing or active infection requiring parenteral antibiotics
  * Impairment of lung function (i.e., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung conditions requiring oxygen therapy)
  * Symptomatic New York Heart Association class III-IV congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris, angioplasty, stenting, or myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
  * Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure \[BP\] \> 180 mm Hg or diastolic BP \> 100 mm Hg)
  * Clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia (i.e., multifocal premature ventricular contractions, bigeminy, trigeminy, or ventricular tachycardia that is symptomatic or requires treatment)
  * Uncontrolled diabetes
  * Psychiatric illness/social situations that would preclude compliance with study requirements
* No known history of uncontrolled or symptomatic neuropathy ≥ grade 2
* No hypersensitivity to paclitaxel, or drugs using the vehicle Cremophor, Chinese hamster ovary cell products, or other recombinant human antibodies

Exclusion Criteria:

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from all prior treatment
* Must not have exceeded a total cumulative dose of life-time exposure of doxorubicin hydrochloride ≤ 360 mg/m² or epirubicin hydrochloride ≤ 640 mg/m²
* At least 2 weeks since other prior investigational drugs
* No prior resection of the stomach or small bowel
* No more than 4 prior chemotherapy regimens in the metastatic setting

  * This restriction does not include endocrine therapies or single agent biologic therapies (i.e., trastuzumab)
* Concurrent radiotherapy to painful bone metastases or areas of impending bone fracture allowed as long as radiotherapy is initiated prior to study entry
* No concurrent trastuzumab
* No concurrent endocrine therapy
* No concurrent CYP3A4 modifiers
* No concurrent herbal supplement
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, or biological therapy)