Background: Strength deficits are a common morbidity following treatment for prostate cancer. Accurate assessment of strength and muscular endurance following prostate cancer treatments is essential to identify deficits and plan rehabilitation.

Purpose: To identify strength and muscular endurance outcome measures that possess strong psychometric properties and are clinically useful for examination of men treated for prostate cancer.

Methods: Multiple electronic databases were searched for articles published after 1995. Studies of tools used to assess strength and muscular endurance were included if they reported psychometric properties, were clinically feasible methods, performed on adults, and published in the English language. Each outcome measure was independently reviewed and rated by two reviewers. A single Cancer EDGE Task Force Outcome Measure Rating Form was completed for each category of strength or endurance assessment, and a recommendation was made using the 4-point Cancer EDGE Task Force Rating Scale.

Results: Of the original 683 articles found, 30 were included in this review. Hand-grip strength and hand-held dynamometry were rated 3, recommended for clinical use. One repetition maximum was rated 2A, unable to recommend at this time but the measure has been used in research on individuals with prostate cancer. Manual muscle testing was rated 2B, unable to recommend at this time due to lack of psychometric support, and muscular endurance testing was not recommended (1).

Conclusions: Utilizing objective dynamometry for hand grip and muscle strength testing provides precise measurement to assess baseline status and monitor change among men treated for prostate cancer.