Bence Jones proteins are categorized as what?

Bence Jones proteins are categorized as monoclonal light chains. This is due to their nature of being produced by a clonal proliferation of plasma cells that secrete immunoglobulin light chains. These proteins are typically found in the urine of patients with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that affects plasma cells, and can provide significant diagnostic insight. The immunoglobulin light chains can exist in two forms, lambda and kappa, but they are distinguished from their heavy chain counterparts, which does not include Bence Jones proteins. The monoclonal characteristic arises because the light chains are produced by a single clone of plasma cells, leading to a homogeneous population of light chains that is characteristic of this condition.