DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic breast carcinoma

  • Stage IV or recurrent disease with distant metastases

• Most recent prior chemotherapy was docetaxel-based or paclitaxel-based therapy for metastatic disease

  • Progressed during therapy or within 4 months of last dose OR
  • Progressed during therapy or within 6 months of last dose if given as adjuvant treatment only
• Received prior anthracycline therapy

• Bidimensionally measurable metastatic lesion

  • Bony lesions not considered measurable
• No known brain metastases

• Hormone receptor status:

  • Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Menopausal status:

• Not specified

Sex:

• Female

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 2,000/mm^3
• Platelet count greater than 125,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• ALT no greater than 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if hepatic metastases are present)

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular:

• No unstable angina, myocardial infarction, or congestive heart failure within the past 6 months

Other:

• No grade 2 or greater neuropathy (motor or sensory)
• No uncontrolled infection or other medical illness that would preclude study
• No psychiatric disorder or other condition that would preclude study
• No other malignancy within the past 2 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No hypersensitivity to agents containing Cremophor EL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 24 hours since prior growth factor
• No concurrent trastuzumab (Herceptin)
• No concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for metastatic disease except an anthracycline-containing regimen as first-line therapy and a taxane as second-line therapy
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• No concurrent hormonal therapy (except hormone replacement therapy)

Radiotherapy:

• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy, except palliative radiotherapy to less than 20% of the bone marrow, and recovered
• No prior radiotherapy to major bone marrow-containing areas (pelvis and lumbar spine)
• No prior radiotherapy to target lesion if only measurable lesion
• No concurrent therapeutic radiotherapy

Surgery:

• At least 1 week since prior minor surgery
• At least 3 weeks since prior major surgery
• Recovered from prior surgery

Other:

• Recovered from all prior treatment-related toxic effects (alopecia allowed)
• No other concurrent experimental anticancer medications