Phase III Trial of Continuous Schedule AC + G vs. Q 2 Week Schedule AC, Followed by Paclitaxel Given Either Every 2 Weeks or Weekly for 12 Weeks as Post-Operative Adjuvant Therapy in Node-Positive or High-Risk Node-Negative 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.