DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed stage IIIB or IV (supraclavicular lymph node involvement or metastasis) inflammatory breast cancer

  • Primary or secondary
• No brain metastases or primary brain tumors

• Hormone receptor status:

  • Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Sex:

• Male or female

Menopausal status:

• Not specified

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 3,500/mm^3
• Granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9.0 g/dL

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin normal
• AST and ALT less than 2 times upper limit of normal
• PT and PTT normal OR
• INR less than 1.1

Renal:

• Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

• LVEF at least 50% by MUGA
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No uncompensated coronary artery disease
• No myocardial infarction or unstable angina within the past 6 months
• No deep venous or arterial thrombosis within the past 3 months

Pulmonary:

• No history of pulmonary embolism within the past 3 months

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No history of diabetes mellitus with severe peripheral vascular disease
• No other prior or concurrent malignancies within the past 10 years except inactive nonmelanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No other uncontrolled illnesses

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No concurrent epoetin alfa or filgrastim (G-CSF)

Chemotherapy:

• No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens allowed
• No prior doxorubicin or other anthracycline

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• Prior radiotherapy allowed

Surgery:

• Not specified