Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status is the best predictor of patient response to treatments with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in primary lung adenocarcinoma and is typically analyzed by DNA-based techniques, such as direct DNA sequencing and allele-specific PCR. Recently, however, two mutation-specific antibodies against delE746-A750 in exon 19 and L858R in exon 21 have opened the door for a more convenient and more efficient strategy to determine EGFR mutation status. To evaluate the clinical application of a new mutation-specific mouse monoclonal antibody for EGFR (L858R), we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies with tumor samples from primary lung adenocarcinoma in retrospective and validation settings. A total of 215 cases of primary lung adenocarcinoma were examined and compared using a combination of DNA-based techniques (direct DNA sequencing and/or allele-specific PCR) and protein-based IHC. IHC staining was assessed on a 0 to 3+ score scale, and a cutoff value of 2+ was used as positive by IHC. In the retrospective setting, statistical analyses of the data showed that the sensitivity of IHC was 90.9 % and the specificity was 96.8 %. Findings from the validation study demonstrated that the sensitivity and specificity of IHC were 88.2 % and 100 %, respectively. IHC with the novel mutation-specific antibody could be used as a screening method to assess the EGFR L858R mutation status in primary lung adenocarcinoma.