Background: Gene amplification of HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) is a well-known phenomenon in various cancers. However, little is known about the mechanism of the gene amplification phenomenon itself. Autoantibodies to cellular receptors have been described in several cancer types. We hypothesised that autoantibodies against HER2 might have a stimulatory capacity and could be the cause of the HER2 gene amplification phenomenon. To investigate this, we developed a test for the detection of autoantibodies against HER2 in serum (S-HER2Ab).