Abstract： Cachexia is a state of wasting metabolism, which mainly occurs in cancers and other major chronic diseases and could seriously reduce the survival rate and the quality of life. Though it gained many researches on cachexia recent years, to date, the mechanism has not yet been elucidated and there is no effective means to cure cachexia. "Holistic care" not only care for body, mind and spirit, but also for the whole course from begin of disease to death; not only take care of patients, but also includes family members; not only treat patients by doctors, nurses, but also psychologists, nutritionists and other careermen participate in the professional care team. The terminal character of cachexia is irreversible, thus “holistic care” needs to be applied to the treatment in order to improve the quality of life of cachexia patients. "Holistic care" can effectively relieve the physical pain and mental pressure from patients and family members. Moreover, it also has far-reaching social significance and is conducive to social harmony and stability. But, at the same time, the development degree of “holistic care” in China is limited and in the backward position in the world. Therefore, some problems such as the choice of life to self-decision, the limited social acceptance and policy support need we face and solve actively. Our paper reviews the role of “holistic care” in treating cachexia and provides theoretical basis of the development and application of “holistic care” in China.
