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.