Patients undergo biopsies before initiation and at the time of surgery. Patients also undergo blood draws at the time of the first biopsy and prior to surgery. Serum and tissue samples are used to assess biomarkers of genetic instability, cell cycle progression and cellular proliferation as predictors for anthracycline responsiveness, markers of apoptotic potential as predictors for taxane responsiveness in vivo, angiogenesis, hormone receptors, and molecular profiles using immunohistochemical methods.