Chemotherapy or Letrozole Before Surgery in Treating Postmenopausal Women With Breast Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Estrogen can stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using letrozole may fight breast cancer by reducing the production of estrogen. It is not yet known whether giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) or giving letrozole before surgery is more effective in treating women with breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying giving combination chemotherapy before surgery to see how well it works compared with letrozole given before surgery in treating postmenopausal women with breast cancer that can be removed by surgery.