DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed non-myeloid malignancy

• Cancer-related anemia (hemoglobin ≤ 11 g/dL for males OR ≤ 10 g/dL for females) AND meets one of the following criteria:

  • Post adjuvant chemotherapy
  • Post radiotherapy
  • Metastatic disease and post chemotherapy or not receiving chemotherapy
  • Receiving hormonal therapy or androgen-deprivation therapy

  • Receiving immunotherapy (i.e., interleukin-2 or interferon) or non-myelosuppressive therapy, including any of the following:

    • Monoclonal antibody infusions
    • Antiangiogenesis inhibitors
    • Signal transduction inhibitors
  • No prior cancer therapy
• No anemia due to factors other than cancer or chemotherapy (e.g., iron, B_12, or folate deficiencies; hemolysis; or gastrointestinal bleeding)
• No history of myelodysplasia
• No untreated CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

• At least 4 months

Hematopoietic

• See Disease Characteristics
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm^3*
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3* NOTE: *No transfusion within 28 days of obtaining lab values

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• SGPT ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

• No uncontrolled hypertension
• No uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia within the past 6 months
• No clinically significant, uncontrolled cardiovascular disease or dysfunction not attributable to underlying malignancy or chemotherapy
• No thrombosis within the past 6 months

Pulmonary

• No clinically significant, uncontrolled pulmonary disease or dysfunction not attributable to underlying malignancy or chemotherapy
• No pulmonary embolism within the past 6 months

Neurologic

• No clinically significant, uncontrolled neurologic disease or dysfunction not attributable to underlying malignancy or chemotherapy
• No new-onset (within the past 3 months) or poorly controlled seizures

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
• No major infection requiring hospitalization and antibiotics within the past 2 weeks
• No known hypersensitivity to mammalian cell-derived products or human albumin
• No clinically significant, uncontrolled endocrine, genitourinary, or gastrointestinal disease or dysfunction not attributable to underlying malignancy or chemotherapy
• No other active malignancy except basal cell carcinoma in situ

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 2 months since prior epoetin alfa or any other erythropoietic agents (e.g., darbepoetin alfa or gene-activated erythropoietin)
• No concurrent interleukin-11
• No concurrent stem cell harvest of bone marrow
• No concurrent high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation
• No other concurrent erythropoietic agents

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• See Biologic therapy
• More than 8 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to > 25% of bone marrow reserve
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• More than 14 days since prior major surgery

Other

• More than 28 days since prior platelet or packed red blood cell transfusion
• More than 30 days since prior experimental drugs or devices
• No other concurrent experimental drugs
• No other concurrent anti-anemia medications