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Hi Mark,

State Pension

Your wife may get part of it, depending on:

• Whether you retired before or after April 2016.

• Your National Insurance contributions.

She won’t usually get all of it, but she may inherit some, especially if you retired before 2016.  However is a new claimant after 2016, spouses won’t usually receive your state pension. 

Your wife can use the official checker after a bereavement, but you can ask now for clarity:
Contact the Pension Service (0800 731 0469) and ask what part, if any, of your State Pension can be inherited.

2. Private Pension (pension pot)

Your wife will almost always get the entire remaining pot.
This is normally straightforward and just depends on who you’ve named as your beneficiary.

~ 

My dad had a pirads 5 lesions on MRI but biopsy came back Gleason 7 4&3, confined to his prostate and they will be treating that with curative intent so hold in there, all hope is not lost.  
From what I have gathered since being immersed in this journey is that your MRI score is more to do with how much it looks like cancer not really how aggressive it’s likely to be. Wishing you good luck with your results 

Many thanks, very helpful, have to go in for results of biopsy on 16th so hopefully it looks worse than it is, cheers.

Hello Mark (Mark E 

A warm welcome to the Macmillan Online prostate group - although I am so sorry to find you joining us.

So, lets try to keep you alive first off - I am assuming that the 5/5 on the MRI is a PI-RADs score which means they have conducted the scan, have a clear view of the prostate and it's more than likely prostate cancer. Not that it's aggressive.

The full diagnosis is given from a combination of the MRI Scan, a Bone scan (if required) and Ultrasound Scan (if required) and a biopsy. Once you have had all the tests that are required you will be given both a "Gleason and TNM Score". These 2 scores combined will tell you how aggressive your cancer is and where it is. Do you have your PSA results and have you had a biopsy yet?

As to your pensions this all depends on certain factors - the State Pension you need to contact the pension service to check on this - your private pension, that depends on both how the pension policy was written in the first place (if there is a dependents benefit) and who you have named as a beneficiary (it's not always your spouse).

I hope the above helps - do come back to us with any questions.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Brian and thanks.

Had a biopsy yesterday after a MRI the other week and they said I had 3 lesions with a score of 5/5, hopefully they are just erring on the side of caution,

He took 16 samples with that snapping machine but get results on 16th.

Mark

Mark, sorry for the late arrival but only just seen your post. Brian (Millibob ) is quite right to focus on not dying.  I wrote a post earlier this year which might help you. The end - straight to palliative care! 
As for pensions, not my area of expertise, but if you like me were in a ‘final salary’ scheme (rather than a money purchase) the pension transfers (often at 50% or 66%) to your beneficiary.  Contact your pension scheme and make sure you have made a nomination to the trustees.

Hello Mark.

Sorry to hear you are going through the diagnosis and staging phase of this disease. As has already been mentioned you are still a little bit short of the actual diagnosis, ie the Gleason score (from the final biopsy results) and the TNM staging (tumour size, nodes and metastases) from all the scans. There are probably more scans to be arranged. These are what your treatment will be based on.

As I was told I was G9 but on a curative pathway, to be honest the pension situation never crossed my mind. Out of interest I will now do some research as I’m on 3 different small company pensions plus another allowance, plus the state pension, which might all have different arrangements. Thanks for the thought…! We had decided to update our very old will too, long before cancer reared its head, so that’s another thing to do over the winter.

Good luck with the rest of your diagnosis and please keep us updated on here.

I’m with Millibob on this one - the PIRADS score of 5 after MRI can actually be GOOD news!  Yes, really!  It means that they have a really clear view of what’s causing your high PSA level. This is quite common on men with a slim build.

So, why good news? Well, it means that the biopsy can be accurately targeted so you get an accurate idea of the Gleason grade, ensuring you have the correct treatment.  The treatment can also be accurately delivered (particularly if you have focal or radiotherapy), making a much better likelihood of cure.  
In summary, PIRADS 5 from an MRI is definitely NOT an indication of aggressive cancer.  It means what you have is under the spotlight.    AW

Oh, and - for the record- I think you are being very premature about thinking of handing down your pension!!!  I think you should show these two posts to your wife : I think she may find them reassuring.  Incidentally, my prostate cancer WAS aggressive.  Yet I’m on the curable pathway.  Take a read of my bio.  Then you and your good lady wife can, perhaps, breathe a bit more easily.  Crack open a bottle of wine and toast each other.  Look forward with confidence.  We’ve got your back.  AW

Oh, and one last thing.  I’m writing this whilst having a glass of red wine in our Airbnb apartment in Gran Canaria, after an excellent day of hiking.   AW