S0221 Adjuvant Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide, and Paclitaxel in Treating Patients With Breast Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel, use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug and giving them after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. It is not yet known which combination chemotherapy regimen is more effective in treating resected breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is comparing 2 different regimens of combination chemotherapy to see how well they work in treating patients who have undergone surgery for stage I, stage II, or stage III breast cancer.