Epoetin Alfa or Darbepoetin Alfa in Treating Patients With Anemia Caused by Chemotherapy

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Diagnosis of solid tumor or nonmyeloid hematologic malignancy (e.g., plasma cell dyscrasia or lymphoproliferative disorder) * No nonmelanomatous skin cancer * Hemoglobin ≤ 10.5 g/dL * Ferritin \> 20 ng/mL (i.e., not obviously iron deficient) * Planning to receive ≥ 12 weeks of anticancer chemotherapy * Biological therapy (e.g., hypomethylating agents, monoclonal antibodies, or small molecule pathway inhibitors) with an individual or cumulative regimen incidence of grade 3 or 4 anemia \> 10% is considered chemotherapy for purposes of this study * No known anemia secondary to any of the following: * Cyanocobalamin (vitamin B\_12) or folic acid deficiency * Gastrointestinal bleeding within the past 2 weeks * Hemolysis * Myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative disorders, or acute myeloid leukemia * No primary hematologic disorder causing chronic moderate to severe anemia (e.g., congenital dyserythropoietic anemia, homozygous hemoglobin S disease or compound heterozygous sickling states, or thalassemia major) * Carriers of these disease states allowed provided they are not anemic prior to cancer diagnosis PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * Life expectancy ≥ 6 months * Not pregnant or nursing * No delivery of a baby of ≥ 18 weeks estimated gestational age within the past 3 months (90 days) * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * Weight \> 40.0 kg and \< 150.0 kg * No known hypersensitivity to epoetin alfa, darbepoetin alfa, mammalian-cell derived products, or human albumin * No uncontrolled hypertension, defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥ 180 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 100 mm Hg, despite medical therapy * No pulmonary emboli and/or deep vein thrombosis within the past 12 months * Patients actively receiving warfarin for a minimum of 4 weeks are exempted from this requirement * Prior superficial thrombophlebitis allowed * No cerebrovascular accident, ischemic stroke, acute coronary syndrome (e.g., unstable angina or Q-wave or non-Q wave myocardial infarction), or other arterial or venous thrombotic events within the past 6 months * No history of chronic hypercoagulable disorders (e.g., activated protein C resistance, anti-cardiolipin disorder, protein C deficiency, or protein S deficiency) * Patients receiving anticoagulation therapy (warfarin or acetylsalicyclic acid \[aspirin\] at a dose of ≥ 325 mg/day) for these conditions are eligible provided therapy is continued during the study period * History of previously treated seizures allowed provided the patient has been seizure-free for a minimum of 3 months PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * More than 1 year since prior peripheral blood stem cell, bone marrow, or cord blood transplantation * More than 14 days since prior red blood cell transfusion * More than 14 days since prior major surgery, including, but not limited to, any of the following: * Amputation * Invasion of a body cavity or of the central nervous system using a scalpel, saw, or laser cutting tool * Resection of a body part (or parts), whether solid or liquid tissue or both, that includes ≥ 1% of a patient's preoperative weight * The following are not considered major surgery: * Diagnostic/therapeutic thoracentesis or paracentesis * Diagnostic skin biopsy * Digit or fingernail/thumbnail resection or laceration repair under local anesthesia * Diagnostic fat aspiration * Otic irrigation to remove cerumen impaction * Tympanocentesis * Uncomplicated dental extraction * Uncomplicated tonsillectomy * Laser corneal remodeling for refraction purposes * Cosmetic or therapeutic eyelid surgery * Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy * More than 10 weeks since prior darbepoetin alfa, epoetin alfa, or any investigational form of erythropoietin (e.g., gene-activated erythropoietin or novel erythropoiesis stimulating protein) * No planned stem cell transplantation within the next 4 months (18 weeks)