Patient description: The patient is a 45-year-old postmenopausal woman with cytologically confirmed breast cancer. A core biopsy revealed a 3 cm invasive ductal breast carcinoma in the left upper outer quadrant. The tumor is HER2-positive and ER/PR negative. Axillary sampling revealed 5 positive lymph nodes. CXR was remarkable for metastatic lesions. The patient is using multivitamins and iron supplements. She does not smoke or consume alcohol. She is not sexually active and has no children. She is a candidate for tumor resection and agrees to do so prior to chemotherapy.

Clinical trial eligibility criteria: eligible ages (years): 18.0-999.0,  Ductal Breast Carcinoma in Situ Lobular Breast Carcinoma in Situ Stage II Breast Cancer Stage IIA Breast Cancer Stage IIB Breast Cancer Stage IIIA Breast Cancer Stage IIIB Breast Cancer The treating surgeon must determine that breast conservation therapy (BCT) would be made more feasible by reducing tumor size using neoadjuvant systemic therapy The patient must have signed and dated an institutional review board (IRB) approved consent form that conforms to federal and institutional guidelines The patient must be female The patient must be greater than or equal to 18 years old The patient must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Score (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 The diagnosis of invasive carcinoma of the breast must have been made by core needle biopsy The primary breast tumor must be >= 2 cm by physical exam or imaging Ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes must be evaluated by imaging (MRI or ultrasound) within 6 weeks prior to randomization; If indicated for abnormal lymph nodes, fine needle aspirate (FNA) or core biopsy must be performed The tumor must have been determined to be HER2-negative as follows Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH)-negative (defined by ratio of HER2 to Chromosome 17 centromere (CEP17) must be < 2.2) or, if a ratio was not performed, the HER2 gene copy number must be < 4 per nucleus; or  FNA alone to diagnose the primary tumor Excisional biopsy or lumpectomy performed prior to randomization Surgical axillary staging procedure or sentinel node (SN) biopsy performed prior to registration Tumors clinically staged as including inflammatory breast cancer Ipsilateral cN2b or cN3 disease (patients with cN1 or cN2a disease are eligible) Definitive clinical or radiologic evidence of metastatic disease (Note: chest imaging [mandatory for all patients] and other imaging [if required] must have been performed within 6 weeks prior to randomization) Synchronous or metachronous contralateral invasive breast cancer; (patients with synchronous and/or metachronous contralateral ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) are eligible) HER2 test result of IHC 3+, regardless of FISH results, if performed Any history of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer or ipsilateral DCIS if treated with radiation therapy (RT); (patients with synchronous or metachronous ipsilateral LCIS are eligible) History of non-breast malignancies, except for in situ cancers treated only by local excision and basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin, within 5 years prior to randomization