Docetaxel Followed by Surgery in Treating Women With Stage II or Stage III Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Inclusion: Histologically or cytologically confirmed invasive carcinoma of the breast by core biopsy Tumor ≥ 2 cm in greatest dimension(may be either node positive or node negative disease Patients with non-metastatic breast cancer who are in the judgment of the treating medical oncologist considered to be of sufficiently high risk to warrant adjuvant chemotherapy Patients with internal mammary, supraclavicular and/or axillary node involvement are eligible. Patients with inflammatory breast cancer are eligible Patients with T0 disease but palpable and measurable adenopathy are eligible for this trial. All sites of disease should be noted and followed Hormone receptor status: Not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: ECOG performance status 0-1 Menopausal status not specified Female ≥ 18 years old Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm^3 Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3 Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Bilirubin normal Alkaline phosphatase (AP), AST, and ALT meeting 1 of the following criteria: AP normal AND AST or ALT ≤ 5 times ULN AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND AST or ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST or ALT normal Women of child-bearing potential, must have a negative serum pregnancy test and must use effective contraception for the duration of the study and for at least 6 months after completion of study treatment Patients with prior malignancies are eligible if they have been disease free for ≥ 5 years. Patients with curative treatment of non-melanomatous skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, contralateral DCIS treated with mastectomy are eligible even if it is diagnosed in < 5 years. PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: No prior anthracycline or taxane-based chemotherapy. Patients who received chemoprevention are eligible if the chemopreventive agent has been discontinued for at least one year prior to enrollment in the current study. At least 1 year since prior tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention Exclusion: Prior radiotherapy to the ipsilateral breast Patients who have had radiation to the contralateral breast are eligible Evidence of distant metastatic disease (i.e., lung, liver, bone, brain) Pregnant of breastfeeding Patients who have congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, or other significant heart disease, or who have had a myocardial infarction within the past year Patients with > grade 1 peripheral neuropathy Patients with a history of hypersensitivity reaction to products containing polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) Patients receiving an investigational anticancer drug within 3 weeks of registration Patients with serious medical illness that in the judgment of the treating physician, places the patient at risk.