PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Not specified Sex: Female Menopausal status: Not specified Life expectancy: At least 10 years (excluding diagnosis of cancer) Performance status: Not specified Hematopoietic: WBC at least 4,000/mm3 Platelet count postoperative at least 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin normal SGOT/SGPT normal Renal: Creatinine normal Cardiovascular: No cardiac disease that would preclude the use of doxorubicin (for patients who are to receive adjuvant chemotherapy in this study), including: Myocardial infarction Angina pectoris that requires antianginal medication History of congestive heart failure Arrhythmia associated with concurrent heart failure or cardiac dysfunction Valvular disease with cardiac compromise Cardiomegaly or ventricular hypertrophy unless left ventricular function is within normal limits Poorly controlled hypertension Other: No prior invasive breast cancer or ductal carcimoma in situ No systemic disease that would preclude patients from any part of study No history of symptomatic gallbladder or biliary tract disease unless patient has undergone cholecystectomy No ulceration, erythema, infiltration of the skin or underlying chest wall (complete fixation), peau d'orange, or skin edema of any magnitude No prior nonbreast malignancies in past 10 years except: Squamous or basal cell carcinoma of the skin that has been effectively treated Carcinoma in situ of the cervix that has been treated by operation only Lobular carcinoma in situ of the ipsilateral or contralateral breast treated by segmented resection only No psychiatric or addictive disorders Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test