Epirubicin and Tamoxifen With or Without Docetaxel in Treating Postmenopausal Women With Breast Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Hormone therapy using tamoxifen may fight breast cancer by blocking the uptake of estrogen by the tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy with hormone therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of epirubicin and tamoxifen with or without docetaxel in treating postmenopausal women who have breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.