PTX3 and metastatic neoplasm: In this comprehensive and longitudinal systemic biomarker analysis of patients undergoing elective hepatic resection for metastatic disease in a randomized controlled trial comparing TEA to IV-PCA, we demonstrated that patients with epidural analgesia had a favorable postoperative biomarker profile for oncologic surgery with reduction in TGFb concentrations, dampened response to surgery in fold changes of IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and Pentraxin-3, as well as increased values of IL-12p70.