This dissertation is part of the field of Psycho-Oncology, an interdisciplinary area dedicated to the study of emotional issues related to cancer. It investigated the psychodynamic processes involved in the communication of family members with cancer patients in Palliative Care. It was specifically aimed to indicate possible relationships between the subjective experience of family members and how they communicate with patients. The project, based on the Analytical Psychology approach, used qualitative method. Observations and semi-directed interviews were made with family members of patients assisted at the Pain Therapy and Palliative Care Service of the Cancer Institute of Ceará (Instituto do Câncer do Ceará). The data was described and interpreted according to the symbolic processing, as systematized by Penna. The research was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of the hospital itself before the beginning of the collection of data and approved, being registered with the number 1,791,250. The group of 11 family members interviewed consisted mostly of women, with only one man, and ranged in age from 21 to 60 years. All were children of the patient, with the exception of one participant-this being a friend of the patient. The results were divided into three main categories: family experiences of the illness process, family participation in care and communication in the context of illness and transition to Palliative Care. The family members functioned as intermediaries of the team-patient relationship and demonstrated intense emotional impacts due to the illness and progression of cancer in the patient. Family-patient care and communication were organized between the infantilization of the patient and its recognition as active player in his or her own process of coping with cancer or death.