Paclitaxel & Cyclophosphamide With or Without Trastuzumab Before Surgery in Treating Previously Untreated Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Women with histologically proven invasive breast cancer without distant metastases; a clinical tumor classification of tumor size must be at least 1 cm with or without clinical pathologic evidence of positive nodes * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 * At least one lesion that can be accurately measured in two dimensions utilizing mammogram, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images to define specific size and validate complete clinical and pathologic response * Patients who received radiation therapy \> 5 years ago for malignancies other than breast cancer and whose radiation therapy field is not overlapping with the 20% isodose line of current radiation field are eligible, provided that radiation therapy was completed \> 5 years ago and that there is no evidence of the second malignancy at the time of study entry * Absolute neutrophil count greater than or equal to 1,500/mcl * Platelet count equal to or greater than 150,000/mcl * Alkaline phosphatase equal or less than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) * Total bilirubin equal to or less than 1.5 times the ULN * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) no greater than 1.5 times the ULN * Creatinine less than 1.5 times the ULN * All included patients must have normal cardiac function as defined by an ejection fraction of \>= 50% and no decrease in wall motion by echocardiogram * The patient must be aware of the neoplast…