Open AccessCan the doctor-patient relationship add up to a family relationship, with benefit to the patient, in certain clinical situations? Luis is 59 years-old and has a son named Abel, who is a family doctor. Given the clinical scenario of weight loss and enlarged lymph nodes, Abel perceives a high degree of suspicion. He recalls the previous behavioral changes that Luis has undergone. All of them started following the medical advice by his son. Abel identifies the fear of Luis to start any research on his health and recognizes the strength and confidence provided by the affection between father and son in a doctor-patient relationship that began casually and unexpectedly. Rather than what he always thought he would do, Abel becomes the attending physician of his own father. The diagnosis reveals a gastric adenocarcinoma. The impact of communicating the bad news and the suffering of the patient could be alleviated if performed by his own son.