...

Steve,

I think you're right that this kind of jump is unusual, but it's not unknown.
Didn't Ron Figueroa have a similar jump at one point after his
treatment?  Another friend of mine says that his doctor told him
his PSA was normal one year, but 300 at the next annual physical
exam and 500 by the time they got him on hormone therapy.  Of
course it's always possible that the doctor screwed up and didn't
even do a PSA test at the previous physical.

The bad news is, this may be a strong indication of cancer
metastasis.  The good news is that the metastasis (if that's what
it is) seems to have been detected early.

Craig,

Hopefully, your FIL will have a good response to hormone therapy.
I believe that Ron is now way below 0.1 PSA on HT.  My other friend
who had the PSA of 500 told me his last reading was 6 after a few
months on HT.

Some men live for many years on HT.  It's a crap shoot.  It all
depends on how hormone dependent the cancer is.  Some men
have highly testosterone dependent cancers that respond to HT
for 10 or 15 years.  Others only get a short time out of it.  A good
indication will be how low his PSA goes on HT.  The lower it goes,
the longer his positive response is likely to be.

There are some other PCa drugs in clinical trials that may also
be helpful and be available by the time your FIL needs them.
Depending on how old he is now, there is still a decent chance
that he will live to die of something other than prostate cancer.

Best of luck,

   Alan