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,  Breast Cancer The following information on clinical trials is provided for information purposes only to allow participants and physicians to have an initial discussion about the trial. This information is not intended to be complete information about the trial, to contain all considerations that may be relevant to potential participation in the trial, or to replace the advice of a personal physician or health professional Women >/= 18 years of age Histologically proven breast cancer with an interval between definitive breast surgery that includes axillary lymph node (LN) dissection or axillary nodal evaluation and study registration of < 60 days. (Note: Cycle 1 of chemotherapy treatment may NOT be infused until > 28 days after the date of definitive breast surgery and the participant must be recovered from any clinically significant toxicity thereof.) Definitive surgical treatment must be either mastectomy, or breast conserving surgery with axillary lymph node dissection (axillary lymph node evaluation can be either full axillary node dissection or sentinel LN evaluation followed by dissection if sentinel LN is positive) for operable breast cancer (pT1-4 [including inflammatory], pNO-3, and MO). Margins of resected specimen from definitive surgery must be histologically free of invasive adenocarcinoma and ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS). Lobular carcinoma in-situ does not count as a positive margin Subjects must be either lymph node-positive (pN1-3) or lymph node-negative (pN0) with high-risk features as determined by Investigator High-risk, lymph node-negative participants, (pN0) will be defined as subjects having invasive adenocarcinoma with either a negative sentinel node biopsy (pN0[sn]) OR negative lymph node dissection (pN0) disease AND tumor size > 2 cm or tumor size >/= 1 cm with at least one of the following factors negative estrogen receptor (ER) and negative progesterone receptor (PR) status histologic and/or nuclear Grade 2-3; or age < 35 years HER2/neu positive or negative tumors are eligible. HER2 positivity must be documented by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)  Prior systemic anticancer therapy for breast cancer (immunotherapy, hormonotherapy, chemotherapy) Prior anthracycline therapy, taxoids or platinum salts for any malignancy Prior radiation therapy for breast cancer or any radiotherapy to the chest wall for any other malignancy Bilateral invasive breast cancer Pregnant or lactating subjects Cardiac disease or risk for same as judged by Investigator Other serious illness or medical conditions such as (partial list review with Investigator) history of significant neurologic or psychiatric disorders that would prohibit the understanding and giving of informed consent, active uncontrolled infection, active peptic ulcer, unstable diabetes mellitus or subjects with symptomatic, intrinsic lung disease resulting in dyspnea at rest Current therapy with any hormonal agent such as raloxifene, tamoxifen, or other selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), either for osteoporosis or prevention of breast cancer. Subjects must have discontinued these agents prior to study entry Concurrent treatment with ovarian hormonal replacement therapy. Prior treatment must be stopped prior to study entry