A Randomized Phase III Trial of Sequential Chemotherapy Using Doxorubicin, Paclitaxel, and Cyclophosphamide or Concurrent Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide Followed by Paclitaxel at 14 or 21 Day Intervals in Women With Node Positive Stage II/IIIA Breast Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving drugs at different times or combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which chemotherapy regimen is more effective for breast cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of chemotherapy consisting of either doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, or paclitaxel given at different times with that of combination chemotherapy consisting of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel in treating women with stage II or stage IIIA breast cancer.