Inclusion Criteria:

- female patients, 18-65 years of age;

- locally recurrent and metastatic breast cancer;

- measurable or evaluable disease;

- ECOG performance status of 0-2;

- LVEF >=50% without clinical symptoms or signs of heart failure.

Exclusion Criteria:

- unknown HER2 status, or known HER2-positive status;

- prior chemotherapy for locally recurrent or metastatic disease;

- prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant taxane therapy within 12 months prior to start of
treatment;

- clinical or radiological evidence of CNS metastases;

- clinically significant cardiovascular disease.