Epoetin Alfa in Treating Patients With Anemia Who Are Undergoing Chemotherapy for Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed nonmyeloid cancer * No history of myelodysplasia * Baseline hemoglobin 11-12 g/dL * No anemia due to factors other than cancer or chemotherapy (e.g., iron, cyanocobalamin \[vitamin B\_12\], or folate deficiencies, hemolysis, or gastrointestinal bleeding) * Receiving chemotherapy that meets the following criteria: * Administered weekly OR every 3 weeks * Must begin chemotherapy on or before the first day of study treatment * No known, untreated CNS metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Performance status * ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy * At least 6 months Hematopoietic * See Disease Characteristics * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 (transfusion independent) * Iron transferrin saturation \> 20% * No history of chronic hypercoagulable disorders (e.g., activated protein C resistance, anti-cardiolipin disorder, protein C deficiency, or protein S deficiency) Hepatic * Bilirubin \< 2.0 mg/dL * SGPT ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * No significant, uncontrolled genitourinary disease or dysfunction Cardiovascular * No uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia in the past 6 months * No uncontrolled hypertension * No deep vein thrombosis, ischemic stroke, or other arterial or venous thrombotic events * Superficial thromboses allowed * No other significant, uncontrolled cardiovascular disease or dysfunction Pulmonary * No significant, uncontrolled pulmonary disease or dysfunction * No pulmonary emboli Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No infection requiring hospitalization or antibiotics in the past 14 days * No known hypersensitivity to mammalian cell-derived products or to human albumin * No new onset (in the past 3 months) poorly controlled seizures * No other active malignancy except basal cell carcinoma or carcinoma in situ * Not an employee of the investigator or study center or family members of the employee or the investigator * No significant, uncontrolled neurological, endocrine, or gastrointestinal disease or dysfunction PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * See Chemotherapy * More than 3 months since prior erythropoietic agent (e.g., epoetin alfa, darbepoetin alfa, or gene-activated erythropoietin) * More than 4 weeks since prior packed red blood cell transfusion * No concurrent stem cell harvest of bone marrow * No concurrent interleukin-11 * No other concurrent erythropoietic agent Chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * No concurrent high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation Radiotherapy * No concurrent nonpalliative radiotherapy Surgery * More than 2 weeks since prior major surgery Other * At least 1 month since prior investigational agents or devices * No concurrent high-dose IV iron supplementation