Is a 2-3 cm lung tumor small or considered early stage?

Depends: If pet scan is negative for any spread and if surgical path shows no nodes then likely a stage i only. Surgery and pet will help define stage better.

Depends: If it's one of the relatively slow-growing forms of lung cancer, and there's no evidence it's spread to a lymph node or elsewhere, then count yourself lucky -- we are actually getting a fair number of cures of these early lung cancers.

Need more info: Cancer 1-2-3 -- 1) diagnosis. Has this tumor been biopsied? Nsclc, sclc, non-cancer? 2) staging (ct, pet, brain), lymph node involvement and 2b) prognostic factors (eg for nsclc - egfr, alk, ros1, etc). 3) treatment. Need more information with a basic outline of 1-2-3.

Depends: Staging has more to do with whether it has spread or not - not the size. Typically the larger the tumor, the more likely it is to spread.

Is that all?: If lymph nodes do not have cancer and there is no metastasis or spread of tumor, then yes early stage.

Still1: A t1 tumor, but this size does not eliminate nodal or even distant metastasis. Size, clearl, is not everything in lung cancer--it's ability to travel, to nodes and elsewhere, is likely molecularly driven. Get worked up, a multi-modal team is best, likely includes biopsy (cell type critical) and search for spread. Removal if all is negative elsewhere. Good luck.