DESCRIPTION: The goal of the project is to investigate the relationship between angiogenesis in stage II, III or IV breast cancer and clinical outcome. Parameters to be measured include circulating and urinary basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), degree of neovascularization and tissue TGF- B1 expression. Specimens to be analyzed have been or will be collected from women participating in prospective therapeutic trials of CALGB. Analysis will allow a correlation of angiogenesis and putative markers (circulating or urinary bFGF and tissue TGF-B1) with treatment outcome.Such knowledge could lead to clinically useful predictors of prognosis.