OBJECTIVES: I. Compare engraftment rates using G-CSF primed autologous bone marrow vs PBCP as hematopoietic support following high dose CTCb for patients with poor prognosis breast cancer. II. Compare the complications of these two methods of hematopoietic progenitor cell collections. III. Compare Stage IV patients with bone or bone marrow involvement (assigned to PBPC collections) with Stage IV patients randomized to PBPC collections relative to the number of leukaphereses needed to collect the required number of progenitor cells as well as assess engraftment rates between these two groups. IV. Assess the response to high dose CTCb in this group of patients.