The good news is that this is a very early diagnosis.... By using the X instead of an 0, they likely have not done any testing of any distant locations, with something such as a PET. Making the assumption that if it isn't in the lymph system it hasn't gone elsewhere. Please note the use of the word assumption. While they are likely safe in that posture, I was told once that assumption is the mother of all major F$%^&k- ups. But on the scale of staging this is not a horrible place to be on the oral cancer scale. (Not that any place on it is good.)