Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Diagnosis of primary breast cancer, meeting 1 of the following staging criteria:

- Stage II

- Stage III

- T stage ≥ T1

- Receiving OR scheduled to receive chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy

- For patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy

- Tumor > 5 cm (T3), features of locally advanced disease (T4), OR
biopsy-proven lymph node involvement (N1)

- Scheduled to proceed to definitive surgery and/or radical radiotherapy with
curative intent within 6 months of starting neoadjuvant therapy

- No more than 30 days between initiation of neoadjuvant therapy and start of
study drug

- For patients receiving adjuvant therapy

- Must have undergone complete primary tumor resection and treatment of
axillary lymph nodes*

- Must have lymph node involvement

- No prior neoadjuvant therapy**

- No more than 60 days since prior definitive surgery NOTE: *Patients whose
treatment plan includes further primary tumor resection and/or treatment of
the axillary lymph nodes (e.g., clearance or radiotherapy) with curative
intent after completion of chemotherapy are eligible provided the treatment
is completed within 9 months of study entry

NOTE: **Preoperative endocrine therapy with a duration of < 30 days is not considered
prior neoadjuvant therapy

- No evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease

- No history of breast cancer, except ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in
situ

- Hormone receptor status:

- Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Sex

- Female

Menopausal status

- Premenopausal or postmenopausal

Performance status

- Karnofsky 80-100% OR

- ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- Not specified

Hepatic

- Not specified

Renal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No active dental problems, including dental abscess or infection of the jaw bone
(e.g., maxilla or mandible)

- No prior or current diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the jaw

- No other malignancy within the past 5 years (including prior contralateral breast
cancer) except nonmelanoma skin cancer or curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the
cervix

- No history of disease with influence on bone metabolism, including any of the
following:

- Paget's disease of the bone

- Primary hyperparathyroidism

- Osteoporosis requiring treatment or likely to require treatment within the next
6 months

- No other severe physical or psychological disease that would preclude study
compliance

- No known hypersensitivity to bisphosphonates

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Chemotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

Endocrine therapy

- See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

Surgery

- See Disease Characteristics

- More than 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent dental or jaw surgery (e.g.,
extractions or implants)

- Dental fillings, teeth scaling and polishing, or minor gingival surgery within
the past 4 weeks are allowed

Other

- More than 1 year since prior bisphosphonates

- More than 30 days since prior investigational drugs

- No concurrent investigational drugs (i.e., not locally approved for any indication)