Chemotherapy can often cause anemia in patients with cancer. Anemia is a low number of red blood cells. The symptoms of anemia may include fatigue, dizziness, headache, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Erythropoietin is a hormone made by the kidneys that signals the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. Recombinant human erythropoietin has been produced in the laboratory and has the same effect as the hormone produced by the body. Use of recombinant human erythropoietin allows the body to produce more red blood cells, possibly eliminating or decreasing your symptoms and the need for a red blood cell transfusion. Recombinant human erythropoietin is FDA approved to treat anemia in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. This clinical study is investigating the effectiveness of darbepoetin alfa for the treatment of anemia in patients with non-myeloid malignancies who are receiving multicycle chemotherapy. Darbepoetin alfa is a recombinant erythropoietic protein that stimulates the production of red blood cells. This medication has not been approved to treat cancer patients with anemia, however it has been approved by the FDA to treat chronic renal failure patients with anemia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men or women of legal age, diagnosed with a non-myeloid malignancy and scheduled to receive at least 12 additional weeks of cyclic cytotoxic chemotherapy from the time of first dose of study drug
• Screening hemoglobin concentration less than or equal to 11.0 g/dL
• ECOG performance status of 0 to 2 (inclusive)

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of seizure disorder
• Primary hematologic disorder that could cause anemia
• Unstable or uncontrolled disease/condition related to or affecting cardiac function
• Clinical evidence of chronic infection/inflammatory disease
• Positive test for HIV infection
• Previously confirmed neutralizing antibodies to rHuEPO
• Received rHuEPO or darbepoetin alfa therapy within 4 weeks of study day 1 or more than 2 RBC transfusion occurences