Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of a non-myeloid malignancy
• Currently receiving or planning to receive at least 8 weeks of cyclic cytotoxic chemotherapy
• Hemoglobin no greater than 11.0 g/dL
• 18 and over
• ECOG 0-2
• Bilirubin less than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Creatinine less than 2 times ULN
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV negative
• More than 30 days since prior darbepoetin alfa or epoetin alfa
• More than 30 days since prior participation in investigational device or drug trials

Exclusion Criteria:

• The following diagnoses are excluded:

  • Acute myeloid leukemia
  • Chronic myeloid leukemia
  • Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
  • Hairy cell leukemia
  • Burkitt's lymphoma
  • Lymphoblastic lymphoma
• other primary hematologic disorder that would cause anemia (e.g., sickle cell anemia)
• angina
• congestive heart failure
• New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• hypertension
• cardiac arrhythmia
• other unstable or uncontrolled disease or condition that would affect cardiac function
• pregnant or nursing
• known seizure disorder
• known sensitivity to study agents
• clinically significant inflammatory disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease)
• confirmed neutralizing antibodies to epoetin alfa
• other disorder that would preclude study compliance or giving informed consent
• other concurrent epoetin alfas
• prior randomization to this study
• other concurrent investigational agents or procedures