When patients visit the doctor to be tested for colon cancer, there are several tests physicians may use to determine whether their patient is sick. According to the National Cancer Institute, the following tests may be used to determine whether a patient has colon cancer: • Colonoscopy • Fecal Occult Blood Test • Double Contrast Barium Enema • Sigmoidoscopy • Virtual Colonoscopy While all of the aforementioned tests can help determine whether a patient has colorectal cancer, the type of test the doctor chooses can be important. Choosing the right test is an important part of accurately diagnosing a patient's colon cancer. Doctors may choose a given test for a variety of reasons, including age, medical and family history, insurance coverage and whether sedation is necessary. In some cases, it may be necessary for physicians to perform more than 1 type of test when the initial results are not clear. Doctor's may have acted negligently if they failed to order one of the aforementioned tests in response to a patient's symptoms, failed to accurately read the test results or failed to order a second test after the unclear results from the first test. A doctor's negligence can lead to a misdiagnosis of the patient's colon cancer, increasing the risk of it spreading to other regions of the body. In these instances, the patient may be able to receive compensation for any additional damages caused by their physician's misdiagnosis.