Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed breast cancer

- Metastatic or locally advanced disease

- Not curable with standard therapy

- Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by
conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan

- Lesion must be outside of the previously irradiated field

- If the sole site of disease is in a previously irradiated field, there must
be evidence of disease progression or new lesions in the irradiated field

- No known CNS metastases

- Hormone receptor status:

- Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Sex

- Female

Menopausal status

- Not specified

Performance status

- ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

- At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- PTT, PT, and INR normal

- No known bleeding disorder

Hepatic

- Bilirubin normal

- AST and ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

Renal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

- No significant cardiac dysfunction

Immunologic

- No active uncontrolled infection

- No history of serious allergic reaction to taxanes, including paclitaxel or docetaxel

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No preexisting neuropathy ≥ grade 2

- No other malignancies within the past 5 years except adequately treated nonmelanoma
skin cancer or curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix

- No other serious medical condition or illness that would preclude study participation

- No significant neurological disorder that would preclude giving informed consent

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- Prior trastuzumab (Herceptin^®) allowed

Chemotherapy

- Recovered from prior chemotherapy

- At least 6 months since prior adjuvant chemotherapy (taxanes allowed)

- At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy for advanced disease

- No prior taxanes for advanced disease

- No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for advanced disease

- No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

- At least 1 week since prior hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

- Low-dose, nonmyelosuppressive radiotherapy allowed within 4 weeks before study
entry at the discretion of the investigator

- No prior radiotherapy ≥ 30% of functioning bone marrow

- No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

- At least 3 weeks since prior major surgery and recovered (wound healing must have
occurred)

Other

- More than 4 weeks since prior investigational agents or new anticancer therapy

- No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation therapy except low-dose oral anticoagulant
therapy (i.e., 1 mg of oral warfarin once a day) or low molecular weight heparin

- No other concurrent investigational therapy

- No other concurrent cytotoxic therapy