• Overall incidence of adverse events, serious adverse events, and severe or life threatening adverse events [ Time Frame: throughout study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Incidence, if any, of neutralizing antibody formation to study drug (darbepoetin alfa or rHuEPO) [ Time Frame: throughout study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Average weekly dosage of study drug during the 16-week treatment period [ Time Frame: 16-week treatment period ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Receiving red blood cell (RBC) transfusion from week 5 to week 12 [ Time Frame: from week 5 to week 12 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Change in FACT-Fatigue scale score from baseline to week 7 [ Time Frame: from baseline to week 7 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Percentage of subjects who have a rapid rate of hemoglobin concentration rise and negative clinical consequences associated with this rise [ Time Frame: throughout study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Profile of change in FACT-Fatigue scale score from baseline over the treatment period [ Time Frame: from baseline over the treatment period ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Change in FACT-Fatigue scale score from baseline to End of Treatment Period (EOTP) [ Time Frame: from baseline to EOTP ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Change in FACT-Physical Well-being scale score from baseline to EOTP [ Time Frame: from baseline to EOTP ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Receiving RBC transfusion during the treatment period [ Time Frame: during the treatment period ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Number of units of RBC transfused during the treatment period [ Time Frame: during the treatment period ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Achieving a hemoglobin response by week 7 [ Time Frame: baseline to week 7 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Change in hemoglobin concentration from baseline to EOTP [ Time Frame: from baseline to EOTP ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Time to first hematopoietic response [ Time Frame: throughout study ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Achieving a hemoglobin correction [ Time Frame: throughout study ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Number and percentage of subjects who exceed the hemoglobin concentration threshold [ Time Frame: throughout study ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

• Overall incidence of adverse events, serious adverse events, and severe or life threatening adverse events
• Incidence, if any, of neutralizing antibody formation to study drug (darbepoetin alfa or rHuEPO)
• Average weekly dosage of study drug during the treatment period
• Receiving red blood cell (RBC) transfusion from week 5 to week 12
• Change in FACT-Fatigue scale score from baseline to week 7
• Percentage of subjects who have a rapid rate of hemoglobin concentration rise and negative clinical consequences associated with this rise

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.

• Neoplasms
• Anemia

• Drug: Darbepoetin alfa
• Drug: rHuEPO

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