Monoclonal Antibody HuHMFG1 in Treating Women With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed breast cancer * Locally advanced or metastatic disease * No inflammatory breast cancer * Measurable (RECIST) or evaluable disease (e.g., cytologically or radiologically detectable disease that does not fulfill RECIST criteria) * Failed prior OR not a candidate for OR refused anthracycline- and taxane-containing chemotherapy * Patients whose tumor overexpresses HER-2 must have failed prior trastuzumab (Herceptin®) * No known CNS metastases * No metastases accessible to complete surgical resection * Unstained slides cut from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor blocks available * Appropriate tumor block also acceptable * Hormone receptor status: * Not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 and over Sex * Female Menopausal status * Not specified Performance status * WHO 0-1 Life expectancy * At least 4 months Hematopoietic * Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * WBC ≥ 1,000/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * ALT or AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (\< 5 times ULN in patients with liver metastases) OR * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN (\< 5 times ULN in patients with liver metastases) * Any degree of elevated alkaline phosphatase allowed provided it is due to bone metastases Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR * Creatinine clearance \> 60 mL/min * Uric acid \< 1.25 times ULN (for patients with hyperuricemia only) * Calcium (corrected for serum albumin) \< 11.5 mg/dL (for patients with hypercalcemia only) Cardiovascular * LVEF ≥ 45% by MUGA or echocardiogram within the past 4 weeks Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia * No other uncontrolled illness that would preclude study participation PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * See Disease Characteristics * Prior biological therapy allowed * More than 2 weeks since prior blood transfusions or growth factors to aid hematological recovery * No other concurrent antitumor immunotherapy Chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * More than 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy * No more than 3 prior chemotherapy regimens, including adjuvant/neoadjuvant therapy * No concurrent antitumor chemotherapy Endocrine therapy * Prior hormonal therapy allowed * No concurrent corticosteroids except as physiologic replacement and/or for acute short-term treatment of, or prophylaxis against, infusion reactions * No concurrent antitumor hormonal therapy Radiotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy (except for palliative radiotherapy) * No concurrent antitumor radiotherapy, except for palliation to non-study lesions * Irradiated area should be as small as possible and involve ≤ 10% of the bone marrow in any given 4-week period Surgery * More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery Other * More than 30 days since prior investigational agents * No other concurrent investigational agents