Jim, allow me to invite @dmadi61 @norske46 @hodagwi @fmh1 and @safari1949 into this discussion. They have all had external beam radiation for prostate cancer and may be able to share their experiences and answer your questions about how the radiation was done (radiating a particular area or whole pelvic bowl) and how many treatments they had.

While we wait for others to share their experiences, this article from Mayo Clinic does a good job in explaining how external beam radiation works and what you can expect: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/external-beam-radiation-for-prostate-cancer/about/pac-20384743

@jimb1950, have you had a planning session with your radiation team yet?