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RATIONALE: Estrogen can stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy may fight breast cancer by blocking the uptake of estrogen. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with hormone therapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which treatment regimen is more effective for breast cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of hormone therapy during or after combination chemotherapy or hormone therapy alone in treating perimenopausal or postmenopausal women who have stage II or stage IIIA breast cancer.